SPVM Body Cams, Legault Backtracks on Islamophobia, French Officers Sentenced

Hosted by Alexandre Denis

Stories by Alexandre Denis

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LOCAL

A proposal to equip SPVM officers with body cams is facing resistance from both police and City hall.

An SPVM report indicates a high cost in equipping all officers with cameras. They also claim their one year pilot saw no benefit in having officers wear the cameras. Concerns about the privacy of both officers and citizens were also brought up.

The leader of the opposition Lionel Perez believes the city should go through with the project. He claims a need for better oversight and believes it will increase public trust.

NATIONAL

Francois Legault has faced harsh criticism after claiming there is no Islamophobia in Quebec. The statement was said a few days after the anniversary of the Quebec city mosque shooting. Legault has opposed calls to make January 29th a day against islamophobia in quebec.

His office later clarified that he did not mean islamophobia was nonexistant in quebec. Rather, that it was not widespread.

However, data from Stats Can show that hate crimes have risen sharply in recent years. These crimes predominantly target black, jewish, and muslim communities

INTERNATIONAL

Two former French police officers have been found guilty of the rape of a Canadian tourist.

The crime occured in 2014. The victim Emily Spanton was out drinking at pub when she met the officers. They then brought her back to police headquarter where she was raped. She said three men were involved, though the third was never identified.

Officers Antoine Quirin and Nicloas Redouane face 7 years in jail. They will also need to pay a fine to Spanton of approximately thirty thousand canadian dollars.