Cadets at Quebec military college accused of desecrating Qur’an

OTTAWA — Four cadets from the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que., have been accused of desecrating a Qur’an with bacon and “bodily fluids” during a cottage party over the Easter long weekend.

In an interview on Friday, Lt.Gen. Charles Lamarre, the chief of military personnel, said the alleged incident started when eight students from the Saint-Jean college headed out of town to a cottage.

“Four of those individuals went to sleep at some point, and four other individuals stayed up and unfortunately desecrated a Qur’an,” Lamarre told The Canadian Press in his office at National Defence headquarters.

“They actually desecrated it with, if I’m not mistaken, bodily fluids, and there might have been bacon involved.”

While Lamarre would not comment on the nature of the bodily fluids, sources have told The Canadian Press that it appears to have been semen.

Military commanders became aware of the alleged desecration after videos of the incident were shown to other students who subsequently told college staff, Lamarre said, at which point an investigation was ordered.

After the investigation found reason to believe the four cadets broke the military’s rules, one was told he would be discharged from the Forces.

A unit within Lamarre’s office is reviewing the cases of two others, which could also lead to their dismissal.

The fourth was given probation and ordered to undergo counselling, while the other four cadets who were asleep at the time have been reprimanded for not reporting the incident earlier.