An individual carries a U.S. Confederate flag with an image of a truck on it during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)
By
Strategic communications firm Enterprise Canada is denying that one of its employees had carried a Nazi flag during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, after the allegation was made by a lawyer representing some of the convoy organizers at the Emergencies Act inquiry.
Brendan Miller, a lawyer with Freedom Corp., said at the inquiry on Nov. 21 that Enterprise principal Brian Fox, a former Windsor Star and Toronto Star employee, was the individual carrying the flag.
Enterprise issued a statement the same day saying Miller’s allegation was “entirely unsubstantiated and deeply offensive.”
“For the record, there is no truth to this absurd and despicable accusation. Neither Brian Fox, nor anyone from Enterprise Canada was in attendance at the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests in any capacity. Mr. Fox was in Toronto for the duration of these protests and had no involvement in them,” the statement said.
Enterprise added it is planning to explore “all legal options and take swift action to defend against this unsubstantiated attack on the personal and professional reputation of Mr. Fox.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Fox and Enterprise but didn’t hear back.
During cross-examination on Nov. 21, Miller asked Canada Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director David Vigneault whether he knew of Enterprise and if his agency had identified the individual carrying the Nazi flag reported on by media during Freedom Convoy. Miller didn’t provide further evidence during his cross-examination.
Vigneault said he wasn’t aware “specifically” of Enterprise.
“As I’ve said before, the specific details of our investigations have been shared with [the] commission earlier. I would not be able to go into more specific detail,” he said.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair addressed the issue of the Nazi flag at the protest during his testimony at the inquiry on Nov. 21. He said he believed the “carrying of hateful symbols, like a Nazi flag, is in many ways causing fear, and it is a form of violence and intimidation.”
Miller asked Blair if he knew who Fox was, but the minister said he didn’t.
“Have you heard anything about the individual carrying the Nazi flag, actually not being a protester, but somebody sent there so that photos were taken?” Miller said.
“Only from you, sir,” said Blair.
The presence of the Nazi flag early in the Freedom Convoy protest was often highlighted by Liberal and NDP MPs to imply that protesters had unacceptable views.
“We vigorously condemn the hatred and the intolerance that we have seen in the streets of Ottawa over the past number of days,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Jan. 31.
“From the beginning, hateful symbols, such as the Nazi flag and the Confederate flag, have been displayed at this convoy,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Feb. 7.
Freedom Convoy organizers have dismissed accusations that they are racist.