In Montreal, a police officer wearing a thin blue line patch to support the Blue Lives Matter movement is apparently SUPER controversial.
So, naturally, it had to be banned.
Now, the Montreal police force is getting a new crest, and you guessed it, it's pretty lame.
It's got two beavers, the flowers from the Montreal flag, a castle, a crown, and a knight helmet, all surrounded by a blue circle that says "fallen but not forgotten" in French.
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The head of the police force, Fady Dagher, says the new badge is a way for officers to pay tribute to their colleagues who have died on the job without alienating or making anyone feel uncomfortable.
YUP - feelings over honoring our fallen officers.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) is trying to rebrand and build trust with the community, and this new crest is part of that effort. The ban on the old crest will take effect after summer, and several other Canadian police forces have already implemented it.
Back in January, Andrés Fontecilla from the Québec Solidaire party asked Public Security Minister François Bonnardel to ban all police officers in Quebec from wearing a thin blue line badge. The minister said it was up to each police force to decide for themselves.
Dagher says the new badge is designed to be more "inclusive" - he thinks it's too divisive when officers wear the old badge because it somehow "separates good and bad." He claims to be all about honoring officers who have died on the job but thinks the new badge is a way to do that without creating divisions.
Groups like the Black Coalition of Quebec and the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations pressured Dagher to ban the thin blue line even after officers begged him not to. According to the SPVM, the blue line represents "protection and refuge" and "work and determination."
Please don't take our symbol away or give us one of our own.
Although the SPVM says it will not take disciplinary action against officers who chose to wear the blue line, the Montreal police force has made its position clear.
Inclusivity out of fear ... not exactly what you want from your police force!
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