Police shut down Nazi Instagram page with SRO’S help

Edmonton police have shut down an Instagram account referring to itself as a Nazi page.

The EPS Hate Crimes and Violent Extremism Unit (HCVEU) learned about a page called “Nazisofyeg” on June 4, a news release said Monday. Police said the account was targeting an Edmonton student and their family, posting their address online.

The owner of the account shut it down but not before the family it was allegedly targeting was harassed. Police said people in the community wrongfully thought the targeted student was running the page.

Const. Ellie Arias, a student resource officer (SRO) got a tip from school officials who believed it may have been started by one of their students as HCVEU was conducting their investigation.

Arias approached the hate crimes unit and asked if she could help in the investigation. She began speaking with students, eventually finding a name of a suspect. The HCVEU did not name the school where Arias investigated.

“Const. Arias was able to get more information from the students because they knew and trusted her,” said Const. Freddie Challenger with HCVEU. “Once she was able to get some names, and we were able to narrow it down to the suspected youth who created the account, that youth was comfortable enough to sit down and speak with her because they knew her.”

Police worked with the suspect and their school administration. The student was not charged but was given a chance to make amends, police said.

“Hate crimes unit investigations are always victim-centred, so the victim’s family would have been involved in any discussions around the outcome of this file,” said EPS spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout. “SROS focus on diversion, not criminalization of students, so the first route of response is never to go straight to charges.”

The SRO program has come under fire in recent months after Black Lives Matter Edmonton called for the program to be ended saying it racialized minority students. The Edmonton Public School Board held two votes on whether to discontinue the program. Both motions failed.

The second vote was conducted after former trustee Cheryl Johner made racist remarks regarding refugee students in discussions regarding the original motion. She later resigned from her board position.

The conversation surrounding the SRO program will continue at Edmonton Public Schools next board meeting, scheduled for Sept. 8, where trustees can once again reconsider suspending the program.