Montreal police (SPVM) are searching for three suspects who allegedly staged a mock public execution of Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet during a workers’ demonstration last month.
According to police, three individuals used a guillotine to behead an effigy of Boulet at 2:30 p.m. at Place des Festivals in downtown Montreal during the International Workers’ Day demonstration on May 2.
“What we’re looking at is possibly uttering death threats and criminal harassment, but those are the main criminal offences that we are looking at,” said SPVM Chief Insp. David Shane, adding that the Crown prosecutor’s office will determine the exact charges.
Three suspects
The first man being sought is suspected of severing the effigy’s head. He is described as a man in his 30s who was wearing a brown-beige coat, a black hoodie featuring a wolf’s head, black pants and a black tuque with red lettering.
The second suspect is an older man, possibly in his 40s, believed to have kicked the decapitated effigy’s head. He was wearing a black and red cap, a jean jacket, an orange sweater and beige pants. He had black sunglasses on and was carrying what appeared to be a drill handle at his waist.
The third person is also believed to have kicked the decapitated head. He was wearing a dark coat, a black and white sweater and black pants. He has dark hair and a moustache.
Shane said a similar investigation is ongoing into a video from a pro-Palestinian protest showing effigies of Israeli politicians — Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and U.S. President Donald Trump with nooses around their necks.
The effigies were hanged on May 24 in downtown Montreal during a protest organized by the Montreal4Palestine group and their supporters.
Free speech to felony
Shane said it is not always clear when the line is crossed between a passionate protest protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and a criminal act.
“If it was black and white, I tell you, it’d be very easy, but unfortunately it’s not the case,” said Shane.
“On one side, yes, there’s a lot of criminal infractions in the Criminal Code, and there’s a bunch of regulations and bylaws, but on the other hand, you also have the Charter of Rights. The police force, we’re always kind of standing in the middle, so we have to apply and enforce the law, but at the same time make sure that the rights are respected for the citizens protesting.”
He said that during a protest, police priority is safety, traffic and ensuring no property is damaged. Though officers made arrests on site at the May protest, some infractions — including the guillotine execution — were only spotted afterward.
“Sometimes we don’t see everything that’s going on, and it’s hard to do both, and to have a look, an in-depth look, and listen to what’s being said, and the context of what’s going on,” said Shane.
“It’s not black or white, but definitely one thing is for sure, using a simulation of a public execution is not a good way of doing things, and the Montreal police will have an eye on that, and we will warn the protest organizers that they should not be using that type of means to express themselves, and if they do, they are walking on a fence, and they can quickly fall on the side of becoming a criminal offence.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Montreal police by calling 911 or 514-393-1133, or by visiting the police website.
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