(Article by Renee Nal republished from RairFoundation.com)

During the Truckers Freedom Convoy, Ottawa’s aptly-named Iconic Cafe defied leftist authoritarians by refusing police “enforcers” entry to their establishment. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s soldiers warned owners Enrico and Deborah Kuhn that they would “go to jail” and their windows would be smashed if they did not allow the police to come in “for inspection”.

But the owners stood their ground.

A video of the viral February 20, 2022 incident inspired those who desire freedom from coronavirus tyrants. Iconic Cafe owner Enrico Kuhn was interviewed on the Tucker Carlson show. RAIR Foundation USA interviewed Mr. Kuhn and a witness on March 2, 2022 but on March 4, 2022, the Iconic Cafe posted on Facebook that they have been forced to close “temporarily”.

Mr. Kuhn provided his perspective about the police abuse exclusively to RAIR Foundation USA. He said that there was no “emergency” despite the Trudeau regime’s invocation of the “Emergencies Act.” Kuhn also stated that some of the “police” officers were from other countries and could not speak English. Further, he told RAIR that the truckers were not blocking streets. The police, however, were blocking streets.

RAIR also interviewed Sam, a dad and Iconic Cafe patron who witnessed the incident. Sam gave context to the police encounter, explaining what happened in the crucial moments leading up to the intimidation at the cafe (watch interviews below).

‘Enforcers’ Now Serve Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Iranian refugee Salman Sima posted a video of police abusing their authority on Twitter, where it gained 2.5 million views:

Sima supports the Truckers Freedom Convoy:

I lost my freedom once in my beloved Iran by the Mullahs, I don’t want to lose my freedom again here!

An excellent summary of the incident can be found at the Western Standard by Ewa Sudyk:

Owners of a cafe in Ottawa were told by police their windows would be smashed and they would be arrested for staying open during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, the event was recorded by a customer on the inside of the shop.

On Sunday, February 20, a group of police officers showed up at the Iconic Cafe, where owners Enrico and Deborah Kuhn refused them entry.

“I’m not opening the door. I don’t trust you,” said Enrico through the glass.

The Kuhns kept refusing until the cops backed off, taking their chances on whether they would break in or not.

“I don’t care,” said Enrico to the cop’s demands.

“This is my property, I can decide who I let on here.”

He explained the police later claimed they were there for inspection and threatened to take away his business license for life.

“They don’t have a warrant, and they want to inspect, inspect what? That was an excuse. Inspection is never done on the weekend, only on weekdays,” said Enrico.

“I said ok, what do we have to lose anyway? I have nothing left after this, so I don’t comply to them.”

Enrico said despite the bullying and scaring tactics, his faith kept him strong and he was not afraid.

See a tweet from Daniel Bordman that features an image of the brave couple:

These are the owners of #IconicCafe Enrico and Deborah Kuhn. They have been open for business during the #freedomconvoy22. Now they want to put them in jail for serving the truckers. They said they will not give in, what they do is for their country and freedom all over the world pic.twitter.com/Llg7PrDL2q

— Daniel Bordman (@Ranting4Canada) February 20, 2022

Enrico Kuhn: ‘They Wanted to Storm in and Arrest Everybody’

The viral video shows the police attempting to gain access to the small business, but they were using false arguments and did not have a warrant. They said they had a “court order”, Kuhn explained. “But there was no court order,” he continued. Trudeau’s soldiers used threats and coercion, but Enrico Kuhn and his wife did not back down where many others would have easily buckled.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="347"] Ottawa police woman[/caption]

Mr. Kuhn believes resisting the illegal tactics “irritated” them. “There was no state of emergency,” Kuhn said. Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act without cause, he said, referring to the tyrant as “Truedolf”. Also, the small business owner declared that Trudeau’s soldiers who attempted to gain access to his cafe “are not police officers.”

Just the one woman seen in the footage is an Ottawa police officer, Kuhn explained. Aside from her, the “enforcers” were from other areas, even other countries, Kuhn said. One was from France, and another was from the Middle East, Kuhn said. He said that he noted that some of the “enforcers” did not know English. “That is why some of them – you don’t see them talking,” Kuhn said. “Not because they are trained [to stay quiet], but because they don’t understand a damn thing,” he continued.

“They didn’t have badges, they didn’t have numbers,” Kuhn said. “At one point these same people were dressed as bylaws officers,” Kuhn said.

This is consistent with statements made by a trucker named Scott who was the first to be arrested in an exclusive RAIR interview:

The front line was all – at least their label said – Ottawa. But they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t give us any badge numbers or names. They had no time for that. They were in a rampage.

“They wanted to storm in and arrest everybody,” Kuhn said. “And that’s why I closed the door.” Kuhn speculated that some people “work better under orders” and have “no free thinking,” referring to Trudeau’s soldiers. “I don’t think these people know what to do unless someone tells them what to do,” he continued.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="598"] Iconic Cafe RAIR Exclusive Image[/caption]

The small business owner explained that the Truckers Freedom Convoy was not blocking streets, but the police officers were deliberately blocking lanes so truckers would not come into the city. Kuhn described how he was forced to take an out-of-the-way route to go home from work, and still he sat for hours. “It was not the truckers. There was no truckers there,” he said. The police “do not care,” he said. “[T]hey just act,” he continued.

Watch the interview here:

Witness to Police Abuse: ‘All Hell Broke Loose’

Iconic Cafe patron and witness Sam told RAIR Foundation USA that the “very aggressive” police were “forcefully” arresting people who “would speak up to them”. Sam explained that in the lead-up to the viral incident at the Iconic Cafe, a couple dared to protest the arrest of a woman which led to the police brutally arresting the couple by “beating them up”, with “five cops per person”.

The arrest happened outside of the Iconic Cafe in full view of the customers, some of whom went out to object to the heavy handedness of the police. It was only then that the cops set their sights to the Iconic Cafe. “That’s sort of when all hell broke loose here,” Sam said. He continued to explain how he felt as a witness to the abuse, stating that the “police who protected you all your life are now your enemy and they’re going to hurt you and that is really how we felt here….”

‘God, We’re Gonna Need Some Help Here’

Sam continued:

We thought they were going to break down the door. It was surreal. We just sat here praying and saying you know ‘God, we’re gonna need some help here’…

It was profound to see the people arrested who “were really innocent people” who simply had “an opinion”. “They don’t deserve to be beat up and arrested…” Sam continued. The woman was arrested so brutally that her head slammed against the concrete, the witness told RAIR. “She really got it bad…it was unnecessary, they were human beings…”

“We weren’t fighters. We were just there standing our ground for peace in this country, really, and freedom. And the truckers certainly had an opinion. They had a right to be heard. I seen the horses trample that lady. They never needed to use horses on us… It was really over the top…” Sam continued.

Read more about the horse trampling incident and watch below video:

Similar sentiments were made in the above-mentioned RAIR exclusive interview with Scott, the first trucker arrested in Ottawa for “obstructing a court order” for not moving his truck and “mischief”. Scott described similar heavy-handed tactics used by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s soldiers to squash the peaceful protest.

Scott explained in part:

They just came in 500 strong, sound cannons, drones – there were thirty of us held up on Nicholas Street…I went in first and told them it was ridiculous that they brought 500 armed soldiers to arrest 30 peaceful men and one woman. And they took me right away and then they started smashing windows and dragging guys out of their beds…”

In a poignant moment, Iconic Cafe witness Sam laments the loss of freedom in Canada. “Good people” are fighting against “evil and tyranny” but “they’re not being heard,” he said. “No one ever heard the truckers in three weeks,” Sam explained, “They never took the time and that’s a problem.”

Sam continues:

We have rights and we have laws in this country. When they’re not being respected anymore – You’re being fired because you don’t want to take a vaccine which is really freedom of choice, and the laws don’t protect you and come here [Ottawa] and peacefully protest and that doesn’t work, I don’t know where people have left so you’re forcing good people to take a stand for freedom….

Watch the full interview with the Iconic Cafe witness:

Iconic Cafe Closes ‘Temporarily’

On March 4, 2022, the Iconic Cafe posted a message on Facebook stating that they have to ” temporarily shutdown“:

Due to unseen circumstances we are having to temporarily shutdown. Big thank you to everyone who’s donated to help us out. We will keep you updated as we overcome this speed bump. God Bless

On March 2, 2022, RAIR Foundation took exclusive Images of the Iconic Cafe (open in new tab for better view):

On March 4, 2022, the exclusive RAIR photos reflect that the signs have been removed from the Iconic Cafe windows:

Read more at: RairFoundation.com