Montreal police force reviewing uniform policy after calls to ban ‘Thin Blue Line’ patches
Global News
The Thin Blue Line patch is meant to symbolize solidarity among officers, but critics say it is controversial due to its association with right-wing, white nationalist groups.
Montreal police say they are reviewing the possibility of banning officers from wearing non-uniform patches, including “Thin Blue Line” patches, after a Quebec politician asked the government to issue a provincewide ban this week.
Québec solidaire MNA Andrés Fontecilla said Wednesday he wrote a letter to the provincial Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault asking that the government forbid officers in police forces across the province from wearing the controversial patches after one was seen on on-duty Montreal police officers over the weekend.
In a statement sent to Global News, the Montreal police department said its policy on officers’ uniforms is currently under review.
“This review includes the force’s position on the wearing of all insignia, which will be looked at by our ethics committee,” said the SPVM’s media officer Caroline Labelle.
READ MORE: RCMP directive eliminates wearing of ‘thin blue line’ patch while on duty
Thin Blue Line patches are a black patch with a blue line running over a national flag. Police officers in Quebec have been seen wearing Canadian Thin Blue Line patches at various protests since the symbol became more prominent after the massive Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the U.S. and around the world in 2020.
The patch was most recently pictured on SPVM officers at the Montreal anti-vaccine mandate trucker convoy protest on Saturday.
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