The policeman wore the symbol of the thin blue line on the left side of his hat on Thursday as he took Travis Patron to jail from the Court of King’s Bench in Estevan.

Mr Patron, who founded the Canadian Nationalist Party and led federal elections in 2019, was sentenced to a year in prison for hate speech against Jews.

His far-right party was delisted by Elections Canada this year.

He called for a white nationalist state dominated by European Canadians.

The symbol of a horizontal blue bar on a monochrome Canadian flag has been picked up by some white nationalist movements, while others see it as a way for police to honor fallen officers.

That RCMP banned him from uniforms in 2020.

The “thin blue line” is not a symbol for it RCMP for official use. It can be harmful to parts of our community and encourage an us versus them mentality.emphasizes the RCMP from Saskatchewan in a press release.

Citing confidentiality concerns, the RCMP did not reveal the identity of the officer wearing the patch after The Canadian Press provided photos of him exiting the courthouse with the patch on his hat.

That RCMP also declined to make a statement on his behalf.

The photos provide a good opportunity for senior executives, including the Sergeant Major of the RCMP from Saskatchewan to re-educate individuals in the uniform and dress manual of the RCMP and the impact the “thin blue line” can have on parts of the communities we serveshow the RCMP.

order reminders

This is the second time this month that the RCMP has reminded officers not to wear the symbol.

Nova Scotia RCMP emailed staff earlier this month that the symbol was banned. She did so after photos showed an officer with the patch on the front of his uniform at a rally freedom fighter in Nictaux, Nova Scotia have been published online.

The symbol is intentionally ambiguous emphasizes the director of the Center for the Study of Hate, Prejudice and Extremism at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Barbara Perry.

It was somehow claimed by white supremacists to reflect their views and police solidarity with those views.She explains.

Ms Perry said it was unclear what the Saskatchewan police officer was trying to communicate by wearing the symbol.

” Still, it’s always this “us vs them” depiction. They distance themselves from the people they are supposed to serve, and that in itself is problematic. »

Many agents in Canada would be saddened to learn that other groups have hijacked the US flag thin blue linenotes the Office of Police Commissioners in a report released in May, before banning its officers from wearing it.

The symbols were also banned from officers’ uniforms in Edmonton, Victoria, Ottawa, Toronto and Saint John.

With information from Mickey Djuric, Canadian Press.