An anti-sanitation campaigner said she felt “loser” after being fined Monday for refusing to wear a mask at a bus stop in 2021.
“Okay, I’m a loser. I lost to a judge who may have bought a complaint from the Judicial Council,” Julie Lévesque said on Facebook hours after her conviction.
This influential figure in the anti-mask movement, who lives in Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighborhood, appeared before the Quebec court on Monday. According to court documents provided to the Journal, she was found guilty of an offense under the Public Health Act. The event took place on July 19, 2021.
Screenshot of a Facebook post by Julie Lévesque
“I arrived at the Gare du Palais [à Québec] and the security guard asked me to put my mask on. I told him that I have an illness. He said show me your ticket [du médecin]. I told him I didn’t have to show him,” Ms Lévesque said in a video on her social networks on Wednesday.
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salty fine
Judge Sylvie Marcotte didn’t believe the 48-year-old activist’s excuses on Monday. She hoped to be acquitted of all charges.
The court instead ordered him to pay a report of at least $1,546 for refusing to hide at the Gare du Palais. The anti-mask has six months to pay this amount.
“Mrs Lévesque’s version was not accepted by the court. Consequently, after hearing all the evidence, the court concluded that the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) had established the alleged crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Me Patricia Johnson, Deputy Spokesperson for the DPCP.
Remember that Julie Lévesque has multiplied appearances during the pandemic on the channels accused of misinformation. She also took part in numerous demonstrations against health measures, notably alongside anti-vaccination François Amalega.
The latter now has more than $98,000 in fines for violating health codes.
Photo from Facebook account named Amalega Francois
Julie Lévesque with anti-vaccination François Amaléga in May 2021.
However, she boasted about it
On July 19, 2021, the day she received her indictment, the activist ironically boasted about not wearing a mask in public on social media.
“I’m on a passenger bus and although the mask is mandatory for the entire duration of the journey, only a minority wears it. I’ll let you think about what that means, ”we can read on Julie Lévesque’s Facebook page that day.
Screenshot of a post from Julie Lévesque’s Facebook account
As you can see in the video below, she was also arrested in March 2021 for refusing to wear the mask during a demonstration against hygiene measures in Montreal:
The Journal contacted the Montrealer Thursday for their reaction to that ruling. In an email she claimed that she did not have enough time to reply to us.
“I will respond to your article with my own article and probably an avalanche of complaints,” she threatens.
Pre-pandemic conspirators
Note that this anti-mask was already immersed in the world of conspiracy long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 2016 interview with Radio-Canada, Julie Lévesque admits that she doesn’t believe the official version of September 11, 2001, which claimed thousands of lives. She is also convinced that the government is “hiding information”.
How did she come to this conclusion? Thanks to her “research,” Ms Lévesque explained at the time.
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