Concerns over questionable RCMP tactics raised by an officer involved in the crackdown at the Fairy Creek old-growth blockades in the summer of 2021 are not surprising, says a lawyer representing dozens of activists.
There’s been no shortage of legal proceedings or social media videos focused on the treatment of protesters, said lawyer Karen Mirsky, who is the president of the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA).
But it is remarkable an officer was willing to risk voicing concerns about police behaviour to superiors, Mirsky said.
“It takes a lot of courage to be a whistleblower in any organization, but a whistleblower within the RCMP is a whole other level,” she said.
“I can only imagine the amount of pressure individual officers felt to conform to these policing practices in a very … isolated situation.”
The officer, with 13 years of experience, remains on the force but resigned from the RCMP’s controversial Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG).
RCMP officers volunteer for the unit and serve on a part-time basis before returning to their home communities. When he left the C-IRG, the officer cited numerous instances of questionable police behaviour a story by Canada’s National Observer revealed.
Allegations police smashed car windows, improperly seized personal property, fraternized with industry and private security workers, and wore controversial thin blue line patches were detailed in the officer’s report to the RCMP’s professional...
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