David Eby calls banners over BC highway ‘hateful’ and ‘reprehensible’
RICHMOND, BC — British Columbia Prime Minister David Eby says “hateful” banners targeting transgender people that have been hanging over one of the province’s highways for months are “objectionable” and he wishes affected protesters “go home” “.
The prime minister’s comments come more than a month after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ordered the government to ban signs or gatherings in the area around the Mountain Highway Overpass on Highway 1 in North Vancouver.
The signs included messages reading “gender ideology = child sex grooming” and “no child is ever born in the wrong body”.
Eby said he was concerned about safety and the nature of the protest.
“The content of the protest is, of course, quite hateful. It is, in my opinion, really trying to divide British Columbia and foment division and hatred in our province,” Eby said at an unrelated news conference on Thursday.
“I find it reprehensible and while I recognize people’s freedom of expression to be out and demonstrate, I find the content of the demonstration quite appalling and wish those people would definitely go home.”
RCMP said on Wednesday they were seeking clarification from the Department of Transport on whether enforcing the order, issued for security reasons, would violate protesters’ rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“If we enforce the order, we must ensure that it does not violate an individual’s Charter rights,” Insp. Jayson Lucash, officer in charge of the North Vancouver RCMP, said in a statement.
“It’s a complex assessment, but it’s ultimately aimed at maintaining the integrity of justice and maintaining public confidence in the criminal justice system.”
The Mounties said the sentiments behind the protests “are inconsistent with the RCMP’s core values and run counter to the RCMP’s commitment to inclusion in supporting our diverse community.”
In a statement released Thursday, the Department of Transport said the court order gave police the ability to arrest and remove anyone they believe is in violation or in violation of the order.
The ministry said hanging banners on highway overpasses is not allowed under the Transport Act.
“We continue to ask the police to follow the order to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” the statement said.
Eby said the government has gone to court to seek the injunction because the location of the protest raised safety concerns for drivers along the highway and a sign has fallen on at least one occasion.
“If nothing else, we must ensure that the public is safe and that the demonstration does not endanger public safety,” he said.
Banners in the same location have declared COVID-19 a “fraud” and contain offensive messages about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 22, 2023
