ANTISOCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA?
Twitter threats against PM, Notley lead to charges
Alberta RCMP have charged a man with uttering threats on Twitter against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Rachel Notley.
Orion Rutley was arrested Jan. 19 and charged with two counts of uttering threats, RCMP said in a news release Friday. He is set to appear in Leduc provincial court Feb. 8.
The release did not describe the nature of the alleged threats. Court records showed Rutley is accused of making death threats against both politicians at or near Leduc on or about Jan. 19. A Twitter account bearing the accused’s name was suspended.
According to court records, Rutley received a conditional sentence in 2006 of six months, one year of probation and a 10-year firearms ban upon being convicted of careless use and/or storage of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm. An impaired driving charge in December 2010 resulted in a one-year driver’s licence suspension, three months in the interlock program and a $1,000 fine.
Rutley was released following the threat charges with conditions, including an order he have no contact with either politician, police said.
Notley’s spokeswoman, Shannon Greer, said the premier’s office would not comment because the matter is before the courts.
In 2017, Postmedia reported that Notley was subjected to more frequent threats than her recent predecessors. Statistics obtained through a freedom of information request showed that from 2003 to 2015, Alberta sheriffs recorded 55 security incidents involving six premiers. Nineteen of those came in the last half of 2015, which happened to be Notley’s first months in office. At least three required police intervention.
The official Opposition said Friday threats are wholly unacceptable.
“People should be able to step forward to serve their community without fear of facing personal harm,” said a statement from Annie Dormuth, spokeswoman for the United Conservative Party caucus.
People should be able to step forward to serve their community without fear of facing personal harm.