An Alberta man charged with paper terrorism was so disruptive and argumentative during jury selection on Thursday morning that the judge has decided his case will be seen by a judge alone when it goes to trial Monday.
In September 2016, Allen Boisjoli of Vegreville — a self-proclaimed “Freeman on the Land” — was charged with intimidation of a justice system participant after what police called a “paper terrorism” incident. It was the first time in Canada such a charge had been laid.
READ MORE: ‘Paper terrorism’ leads to charges against Alberta Freeman on the Land
Police have described paper terrorism as a situation in which a person floods the court system with false documents in an attempt to have a charge against them dropped.
On Thursday morning, 114 people showed up for jury selection for Boisjoli’s trial.
Boisjoli stood and said “objection” to nearly everything the judge said.
“No, I am not participating willingly,” Boisjoli said to the judge during the proceedings. “Sir, basically the whole issue is the prosecution doesn’t have jurisdiction. She doesn’t seem to have any facts or evidence in the case.
“I am not Mr. Boisjoli. I go by Allan Nelson Boisjoli Family. I am not the corporate fiction.”
The judge continually asked the man to take a seat. In the end, Justice Simpson said Boisjoli was frustrating the system and he wouldn’t let the accused waste resources. Simpson cancelled jury selection and ordered trial by judge alone.
“There is a court upstairs that you can speak to but if you don’t recognize their jurisdiction, I’m not sure how that will go,” Simpson said, referencing the court of appeal.
Boisjoli was escorted out by sheriffs as he repeatedly said: “This is fraud.”
READ MORE: ‘These people are psychopaths’: accused paper terrorist
The Freeman-on-the-Land movement rejects the authority of government institutions and espouses the rights of “sovereign citizens.”
Boisjoli was charged following an incident in May 2015, during which police said Boisjoli was stopped by a community peace officer in Beaver County and given a speeding ticket.
On May 25, 2015, Boisjoli is alleged to have started a “paper terrorism” campaign against the peace officer and the justice system, by attempting to lay a lien against the officer’s personal property worth $225,000.
RCMP said the harassment of the officer lasted for three months.
Boiljoli’s trial begins in Edmonton at 10 a.m. on Monday.