(DerekBrade/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

‘It’s not the group I started:’ We Choose Freedom leader cuts ties with group

Oct 29, 2021 | 8:28 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- He has been the face of protests across the city, the past 20 months, calling on the province to end the lockdowns and mask mandates. But now Stephen Campbell, the head of the Facebook group, We Choose Freedom is going in a new direction and has stepped down from his role.

“When I started it, it was to end the lockdowns and stuff and I think the message was changed a little bit. It became too hard on me, my family, and my employment,” he said.

A big factor in his decision to leave was a Facebook post last week comparing the hand positioning of mayor-elect Linnsie Clark to that of Adolf Hitler. Campbell commented on the post to make light of it but then issued an apology to Clark.

Campbell said he did not know at first what the post was referencing, and he normally tries to moderate what gets posted, but that can be difficult to moderate views with a page that has over 3300 members.

“I’m not that guy that everybody thinks I am, and I really wish people would get out of that, and that is one of the main reasons I got out of the group because I am sick of being labeled for something that other people make comments on. It’s not me, it’s in my group it doesn’t mean it is me.,and that is one of the reasons I had to get out of it because it is not who I am,” he said.

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When asked about how the group morphed into what it is now, Campbell said:

“There is a lot of other groups out there, that jumped onto the freedom movement, and I think that is where the message got clouded,” He said.

“It’s not the group I started, definitely” he added.

Since starting the We Choose Freedom movement last year, Campbell said his reputation has taken a huge hit.

For 10 months, Campbell was looking for employment, to no avail.

“It was frustrating, very frustrating. It’s not that people didn’t support me, but if they hired me they would be afraid that I would hurt their business, and I could see that, and that is another reason why I needed to get out. I don’t want that everywhere I go, everyone around me is being hurt.” he said.

Recently Campbell has started a new chapter. He accepted a job opportunity as an assistant manager at the Cliff Restaurant and is now focusing on his family and career.

“It’s a dream job and I would do nothing to jeopardize it. That includes following all the rules, including the protocols set forth by AHS. We have to do it to stay employed. We have to do it as a business to stay open and I intend to do that,”

Campbell also got double vaccinated, a decision he said was based on personal choice.

“Employment, you pretty much need it now to have most jobs. It is not mandatory yet but it will be, I’m positive. If I were elected to city council, there is the possibility I would not have been able to go to work. I have grandchildren outside of the province. One is Saskatchewan, one in B.C. I would like to go visit them, and I guess there is the possibility that the vaccine could help you from getting a serious illness, so, if that is the case, let’s do it,” he said.

A new person has taken over the reins of We Choose Freedom, but since Campbell is no longer affiliated with the group, he was unable to say who the new leader is.