Pandemic Protester Found Not Guilty of Disturbing the Peace After Verbal Altercation with South Asian Guard at Vaccine Clinic

A Kelowna anti-COVID lockdown protester, Bruce Orydzuk, who gained national attention for an incident outside a vaccine clinic in 2021, has been acquitted of causing a disturbance. Judge Dave Ruse ruled Orydzuk not guilty on Tuesday, ending a trial that spanned several months.

To secure a guilty verdict, Crown counsel Kevin Short had to demonstrate that Orydzuk’s actions, which included verbal confrontation and distributing pamphlets expressing vaccine skepticism, deterred people from accessing the vaccination clinic.

The incident involved Orydzuk berating a South Asian security guard, Amol Singh, and a Kelowna reporter, Carli Berry. Singh testified that Orydzuk’s behavior disrupted the clinic’s operations. However, despite the confrontational exchange, the court found that it did not meet the threshold for criminal conviction.

Berry captured the interaction on video, which subsequently went viral, drawing condemnation from provincial and national leaders. Orydzuk’s remarks telling Singh to “go back to your country” and asserting he was “not Canadian” sparked outrage.

While the incident stirred controversy and condemnation, the legal proceedings concluded with Orydzuk’s acquittal, highlighting the complexities of navigating free speech rights and public order in tense situations.