Jennifer Pawluk, 20, couldn’t believe it when Montreal police arrived at her home and said she was accused of “intimidation” and “criminal harassment” against police.
They took her to the police station where she was questioned for several hours before being released upon a promise to appear in court.
About a week ago, she saw that someone had spray painted the image of Police Cmdr Ian Lafreniere on a wall in a Montreal neighbourhood.
The image has his name written on it and shows a bullet hole in his forehead. Cmdr Lafreniere is head of the communications division and was frequently police spokesman responding to media reports about the student protests.
Ms Pawluk said, although it was violent, the image was well-done and she took a photo and posted it online. She says the idea was not to be threatening adding, “ the person who did the artwork should be in my place, I just took a photo”.
A Montreal defence lawyer says he thinks the woman’s detainment could be a political statement by police “that they have zero tolerance for anything seen as threatening to their image”
Ms Pawluk has not been formally charged but has to appear in court on April 17. She says she has been ordered not to communicate with Cmdr Lafreniere and to stay at least one kilometer from police headquarters.
Public response to the story on the domestic CBC news website is almost universally against the police action and attitude.
With files from CBC.
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