Sherbrooke Police pursue ‘Zero Tolerance’ for hate messages

The Sherbrooke Police) are always on the lookout for and monitors every day statements, gestures, electronic publications and public displays that may promote intolerance or any form of stigmatization towards the Sherbrooke population and its cultural communities. “The position of the SPS is firm: we do not tolerate racist, homophobic, humiliating, and/or hateful behaviours, statements and displays, as well as gestures, comments or displays that could encourage such hateful positions,” says SPS spokesperson Samuel Ducharme.

Faced with stickers that have been placed in some public places recently, the SPS immediately took action with other municipal services in order to list them and to have them removed as quickly as possible. “For the time being, there is no investigation and no statement of offense will be issued. However, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely.”

Anti-immigration stickers appeared in downtown Sherbrooke Tuesday bearing the message "They will not make us silent", and "Minorities on Our Own Land: Never," and signed by the Fédération des Québécois de souche.

Other stickers target immigration more directly, seeing it as an " imposed gesture." The messages end with the question "What do you gain?"

According to Federation spokesperson Rémi Tremblay "these stickers are part of a campaign across the province to denounce the massive immigration that will inevitably lead to our loss of majority status on our own land. That's why many activists both in Sherbrooke and in other cities have spread our stickers.”

For its part, the police are having none of it. “The Sherbrooke population is composed of a great cultural diversity and the mandate of the police service is to take all the necessary means to protect this great wealth.

If people are witnesses to hateful behaviors or public displays, we encourage people to report them to police at (819) 821-5555.”