Independent journalist, Monica Smit was arrested three times on October 31, 2020, while covering the Victorian Covid lockdowns. She was offered $ 15,000 to walk away, but bravely chose to fight the government on her own, with no legal representation. And she won on two out of three of the charges! However, she was hit with legal fees from the government, given by the court of $ 240,000! I am not sure how she can pay this, but obvious donations would help. And it is a tale of caution in these oppressive times.
What is the price of justice, she asks? Sometimes $ 240,000.
https://monicasmit.substack.com/p/what-is-the-price-of-justice
"Recently I represented myself against a team of government lawyers during a 13-day trial over 6 weeks…. and won! That's great news, isn't it? But there is a twist that has become far more important to this story than the victory itself.
It will have you asking…what is the price of justice?
Imagine you've been wronged by a government body.
Imagine your liberty was taken from you without just cause.
Imagine that no one was willing to take accountability or admit any fault.
Imagine you got offered a measly $15,000 with no private or public vindication.
If you take the money, you have permission to keep asserting that you think you were wronged, but you will never get closure. It will always be 'your word against theirs'.
Who benefits if you take the deal?
Well, the government benefits because they're using tax-payer's money to pay you off anyway and they will avoid public embarrassment or taking accountability.
You win a bit of money and avoid the stress that comes with a long-winded trial.
Who else benefits?...NO ONE!
You get to skip away into the sunset with your 'hush money' (the bribe), and nothing changes for anyone else. The government continues to feel emboldened by their limitless power and gets further confirmation that they are invincible. The 'little people' like you and I stay in our box and accept that we are powerless against authority, even when we're the victim.
Who benefits if you DON'T take the deal?
The court makes money regardless of what the trial is.
The team of lawyers bill out their hours as usual. They get paid regardless of the outcome. And hey…the longer the better.
You might benefit because you get to air your grievances publicly and have a chance at vindication and closure.
The most impactful thing would be that if you set a precedent, it could benefit every single person in the country! The government might be forced to take accountability and implement new policies and procedures to ensure other don't lose their liberty without just cause.
So, what do you do? These are your options; take the money, avoid inevitable stress and at least a few people benefit…including the perpetrators!
OR… say no to 'hush money', pursue justice, have your voice heard, and hope that more people benefit in the end, despite the risks.
Oh, and don't forget the twist.
If you choose to run the full trial and win, there is a possibility you could have to pay the cost of the government's legal fees. You could have to pay for them to lose their case! If the judge gives you the public vindication you are seeking but awards you less money than they offered you to shut up…technically you lose because the outcome would have been 'better' if you'd taken the deal.
My name is Monica Smit, and this is my story.
On October 31st 2020, I was arrested three times in one day while working as an independent journalist at a protest in Victoria, Australia. Victoria has since been correctly labelled the 'worse locked down state in the world'. I was on the ground at a protest reporting on a significant period in our history. I had a big following and was openly critical of the current government's restrictions around the so-called pandemic.
I accused the police of unlawfully arresting me three times in one day. I was offered $15,000 to walk away and let it go. I said no because I wanted my 'day in court'. I wanted to use my story to highlight the injustices that many Victorians personally experienced during 2020-2022. Despite the risks, I went all the way. I represented myself in a 13-day trial that spanned over 7 weeks.
The government's team consisted of two barristers and two solicitors in the court room full-time every day of the trial. On the other side was me standing on my own, sometimes with a McKenzie friend, and supporters in the audience.
The trial itself was the most stressful thing I've ever done in my entire life. The emotional and mental energy needed to pull this off far exceeded my expectations. On top of that, I had to pay around $1,500/day to the courts every day for the use of the room and resources.
Despite all the difficulties, I did my best and I am pleased with my efforts. I convinced the court that TWO out of the three arrests were unlawful. What a victory hey?
Well, that's what I thought until the judge only awarded me only $4,000 in damages.
Oh boy. I was offered $15,000 to avoid court! I won the case by 66.66667%. Instead of celebrating my win, I had to spend the night preparing to fight tooth and nail to avoid paying for the government's legal costs.
How is this fair?
On Thursday 12th September, I won my case against the government. TWO out of the three arrested were found to be unlawful. On Friday 13th September I was ordered to pay over $240,000 to cover the cost of the government to lose to an inexperienced self-represented citizen.
I represented myself and won against an experienced team of barristers and lawyers. I got the public vindication I was seeking…but then I was punished for the pleasure of daring to seek justice.
I don't view success in monetary terms. For me, it was always about using my voice to speak for those without a voice. Thousands of Victorians were abused during those times and don't have the resources to pursue justice for themselves. The offer of $15,000 did not have justice attached to it in any form whatsoever. It was tax-payers money to shut me up and go away.
I would never do that, and I don't care what the consequences are. The 'safe option' is never the right option for me.
So, I guess you could say that in this case, the price of justice was $240,000?
How can justice be available to everyone if it cost that much to get it?
Well, it's simple…"Justice is NOT available to everyone. In fact, it's available to hardly anyone at all"
Every single person at the bench and bar tables in that court room got paid every single day, except for me!
I paid to be there, I paid to have my voice heard, I paid to represent myself.
I PAID TO WIN…I PAID FOR JUSTICE!
I never thought this could happen. I feel blind sighted, and a little naive, that I thought I could seek justice and walk away unscathed. Who was I kidding? Ever since I opened my mouth and created a decent platform over 4 years ago, I have been punished over and over…and there is no end in sight.
Luckily for me…I can handle this! I was born a little crazy. The right amount of crazy to deal with these insane mental hardships. I have a supportive family and friend network, I have blind faith in God and I just go with the flow. It's how I am, and I thank God every day for giving me the strength to keep laughing punishment in the face.
A year after this incident, I was punished again by being arrested and charged with incitement. I was given bail conditions that could have been written in Communist China. They wanted me to shut down my business which had 6-7 staff members and hundreds of thousands of members. The website that I ran got over 5 million unique (?)views that year and they wanted me to shut it down! I refused to sign those draconian bail conditions and was sent to maximum security prison, in solitary confinement, to await the appeal of the conditions. I won the appeal and was let free. I pleaded "not guilty" and soon after they dropped the charges. I will be suing them for that regardless of the difficulties I faced in this recent trial.
I truly think the 'system' needed to do this to me in order to discourage people from pursuing public vindication like I did. I refused to take a deal outside of court and they needed to make an example out of me. They need others to fall in line and if they don't, they'll be punished just like Monica Smit was. I think that they want to scare me from pursuing my next court case.
Well, it won't work!
I am very skilled at finding silver linings. My experience will highlight the injustice within the justice system. How can someone win their case but pay over $240.000 for the pleasure of winning? It's so shocking that it will inevitable get noticed. I have complete peace that I did my best and had pure intentions. I put the rest in God's hands. I know that there is reason for this. I'm not sure exactly what yet…but I will one day.
If I had a clean win, maybe there would be less to learn from this. Maybe it would have less of an affect. I'm not sure…but I must believe there is a reason this has happened. I am humbled and will spend a lot of time reflecting on things I could have done differently and how this will affect my future actions.
In conclusion, I got exactly what I wanted; I got public vindication, I got my time in court, I won! I will pay a hefty price for it, but it was worth it.
I refuse to engage in fear tactics with the authorities. I recognise that most people have lifestyles that restrict them from taking on risks like this, but I don't. That's why I've chosen to be the person who takes risks on behalf of others. I have the support, I have the character, and I will never lay down, shut up or be hushed.
This experience has only strengthened my resolve. I cannot wait to see how this changes my life in a positive way. Luckily…I kind of enjoy the anticipation and I feel like it's my calling to put myself out there on behalf of others.
Thank you everyone for your support and prayers along the way.
Note - I will not be conducting a fundraiser for this. I am confident God will look after me and I will be able to figure this out."