MONTREAL — A controversial red badge worn by provincial police officers expressing solidarity with colleagues alleged to have abused Indigenous women drew a cautious response this week from Quebec politicians. Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault declined to pass judgment on the badges but called for closer ties with Indigenous communities. In June, Paul Charbonneau of the Quebec provincial police testified at the National Inquiry into Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls that the force would rather persuade than order officers to stop wearing the protest badges. Charbonneau acknowledged the badge can “traumatize” Indigenous women who see an officer wearing it, according to a CBC report. It’s not the first time police in Quebec have modified their uniforms as a form of protest.

Source: National Post September 28, 2018 21:11 UTC