The Penticton man who allegedly spray painted political statements on the outside of the Canada Revenue Agency building downtown could face jail time.
Ryan Curtis Rose, 24, is alleged to have tagged the CRA building, as well as an office of MP Dan Albas with statements like “this is not a democracy” and “no tax dollars for corrupt politicians” as well as anarchist symbols and references to the anti-terror legislation Bill C-51.
With the two counts of mischief under $5,000 he is now facing, Rose said he doesn’t fear being a martyr for his cause.
“I have no problem going to jail for our country. I’m going to stand up for what’s right. I don’t think I’ll be going to jail, but we’ll see how it plays out,” Rose said outside the courthouse Wednesday.
“There is a lot of stuff going on obviously. Geopolitically, domestically,” Rose said. “There’s a lot of reasons I did what I did, but I find that this kind of kleptocracy, totalitarian, fascist state that we’re turning into with Bill C-51, I feel they don’t have the authorization to do so.”
Bill C-51 wasn’t the only issue Rose was concerned with. He cited the 2011 Michael Sona robocall scandal, the actions of the federal government and the RCMP during the Burnaby Mountain pipeline protests and the Harper government’s military action overseas as motivation, among other reasons.
“I feel that if a corrupt government comes and frauds a democracy like Canada’s, in other countries, and in every country, if any government, any person, any individual feels like they can come in and dictate and impose laws and take rights away from people, they should be expecting a revolution, nevermind paint on their doors,” Rose said.
Rose was arrested on April 30 and released on a $1,000 bail on May 1. After a brief appearance at the Penticton Courthouse on Wednesday, the matter was put over to May 20 to give Rose time to consult counsel.
“If people think this is a democracy, they’re kidding themselves. The reason we have a charter, if you read sections one and three, it says, section one, this is a free and democratic society. Section three, every citizen has the right to vote. Well, every citizen didn’t have the right to vote, so my question to them is what is a democracy?”
Rose defended his methods of speaking out, though he acknowledged those affected by the graffiti “didn’t take it too kindly.”
“If they’re going to break the charter and then try to take our rights away they should expect a lot more than paint on their building,” he said. “As a citizen I’m getting my rights taken away. We’re going to war in Luhansk, Donetsk, Syria and Iraq. I’m not paying for it.”