Quebec police investigating online threats against unnamed elected official

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police have launched an investigation after online threats were made against an elected official, spokesman Guy Lapointe said Sunday.

In a tweet, Lapointe said many people had alerted police to threats made in a Facebook comment thread against a member of the Quebec legislature.

Lapointe did not say which politician was targeted or give details about the nature of the threats.

But he said police would take appropriate action to address the situation and that the force takes all such matters seriously.

A spokesman for Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Sunday that police were alerted to social media posts targeting Legault.

Ewan Sauves did not elaborate on the nature of the posts in question, or when they were made, however.

“We will not make any comments so as not to impede the work of the police,” Sauves told The Canadian Press in an email.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some internet users have lobbed insults and threats at Quebec officials when they disagree with the government measures being implemented to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Quebec’s public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, filed a complaint with provincial police in late July after personal information, including his home address, was shared on social media.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2020.

The Canadian Press