Vancouver councillor defends use of ‘thin blue line’ patch
Posted December 19, 2022 1:48 pm.
Last Updated December 19, 2022 3:32 pm.
A Vancouver city councillor and former police officer is defending his use of a symbol that has been associated with white nationalist movements and banned by some police agencies.
In a tweet posted Sunday evening, Brian Montague responded to someone asking if he wears a “thin blue line” patch on his jacket. In response to the question, he posted “yup.”
In response to someone else on Twitter who questioned his use of the symbol, the ABC Vancouver councillor said it “is a memorial to many of the friends and colleagues I have lost.”
Yup
— Brian Montague (@BrianVMontague) December 19, 2022
It symbolizes a line of dedicated people who protect. It is a memorial to many of the friends and colleagues I have lost. It symbolizes courage and sacrifice. I earned the right to wear it. How dare you, or anyone, attempt to redefine, hijack, or appropriate my symbol.
— Brian Montague (@BrianVMontague) December 19, 2022
Montague declined an interview with CityNews on the topic, stating in an email “I was asked a simple question and provided a straight answer.”
“Those who don’t like the police have provided their opinion, but I don’t think I need to say anymore than I already have – my position is clear,” the councillor said.
In a statement to CityNews, Mayor Ken Sim says he supports Montague’s use of the patch.
“As a veteran of the Vancouver Police Department, Councillor Montague wears the patch as a memorial for the many friends and colleagues that he and countless other officers have lost over the years,” Sim said. “We condemn those who attempt to redefine or co-opt the thin blue line symbol for hatred or political purposes.”
Read More: Calgary officers no longer allowed to wear thin blue line patches: Police Commission
The controversial symbol of a horizontal blue bar across a monochrome Canadian flag had been co-opted by some white nationalist movements, while others see it as a way for police to honour fallen officers.
The RCMP banned the symbol from uniforms in 2020. Police agencies in Victoria, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto have also barred it from being displayed.
The symbol had previously been seen on counter-protesters at Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 in the wake of the police-shooting death of George Floyd. It was also spotted on flags during the insurrection at of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
-With files from Martin MacMahon and The Canadian Press
