Someone allegedly paid protestors to support Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou outside of court

Reports that someone may have been paying actors to protest outside of B.C. Law Courts may actually hold some water after revelations emerged from multiple sources Monday.

According to Breaker, a man claims to have been paid $100 to stand outside the building with a sign. The man refused to give his name or appear on camera, and claimed that he was told he’d be appearing in a music video.

Instead of a music video, the man was brought to the outside of the BC Court House as Meng Wanzou, the Chinese tech royalty who was arrested in December of 2018 in Vancouver, was being escorted indoors.

The man was seen holding a letter-size paper sign which had the words “FREE MS MENG, EQUAL JUSTICE!” on it.

Other protestors had signs which were of the same paper stock, written in similar handwriting, and with black marker, according to photos.

“That was the promise [$100 to be in a music video], and then it was like, when there was all these cameras, for a long time I believed it was filming a scene where someone was coming out of a car,” he said. “So I was genuinely like, OK, fine to do this. Then reporters start showing up and, I don’t feel great about this anymore. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

The man says he asked questions about what his purpose was at the event, but he was given a “merry-go-round of non-answers.”

Another report of a paid actor came from Rebel Media commentator Keean Bexte, who reported that professional actress Julia Hackstaff was at the event holding a sign. Hackstaff has no prior history of social activism, and no prior support of China or their regime, according to Bexte.

CBC journalist Georgina Smyth also said sources were telling her people were being paid as much as $150 to show support for Ms. Meng at her extradition hearing.