N.S. RCMP say officers paid fee, took photo with 'freedom fighters' as de-escalation tactics

RCMP are defending the actions of two officers shown posing in a picture with three people at a weekend "freedom fighters" event in Nictaux, N.S., saying it was part of a plan to de-escalate the situation after they responded to noise complaints.

A picture from the event shared widely on social media shows the two officers standing between three of the group's members, one of whom is holding a $10 bill. Some commenters questioned why RCMP would take a photo with the group members and give money to them.

In a news release sent out Monday, RCMP said an officer gave the money to a group member after they were told to pay an entrance fee. The RCMP said the officer agreed as part of the de-escalation tactics that became necessary because they were surrounded by participants who said the officers weren't welcome.

But organizers of the event say in a statement released Tuesday that de-escalation wasn't necessary in any form.

"At no time during the interaction between Annapolis District RCMP officers, Freedom Fighters Veterans & Guardians members, or any attendees, was there dispute, risk of violence, heated, or escalated conversation," wrote Elissa Bourgoin, international secretary for Freedom Fighters Veterans & Guardians. 

"The RCMP officers were amicable, polite, and jovial at times."

Event details

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said the event took place near Highway 10 in Nictaux on Saturday night, where they found a gathering of more than 50 people in a nearby field.

In a phone interview Monday, Tremblay said a large group of men gathered around the officers and told them police weren't welcome. The pair then "devised a plan to de-escalate the situation."

One officer spoke with a man who identified himself as the president of the Freedom Fighters to explain the noise laws, while the other calmed down the remaining attendees.

The music was turned down and the president gave his number to the officers. As the officers began to leave, a man said they didn't pay the entry fee. Other members agreed, so one of the officers paid from his "personal funds," Tremblay said.

The officers also agreed to take a photo with some attendees to "mitigate any escalation of the situation."

Tremblay said the officers were in a remote area and were outnumbered.

"Given the fact that they're trying to avoid [escalating] things from a noise complaint to a situation that could involve multiple arrests and violence ... members acted quickly and [made] decisions they saw would keep them safe and would also keep the people attending safe that evening," said Tremblay.

Different version of events

The Freedom Fighters Nova Scotia Chapter Facebook page describes the gathering as a two-day camping event. A flyer promoting the event says a suggested donation of at least $5 was being collected for Rally Point Retreat, a facility in Sable River, N.S., that operates as a space for people dealing with trauma.

The group, named Freedom Fighters Veterans and Guardians, is a private group of Canadian and American veterans and civilians "who believe in preservation, honour, and peaceful defense, of the fundamental rights and freedoms of our nations, and their people."

The Freedom Fighters group declined an interview request sent by the CBC on Tuesday.

Bourgoin said in her statement that the participants who interacted with the officers were cooperative.

"The officers were approached by three Freedom Fighter Veterans & Guardians members, who immediately ensured the music volume was reduced in accordance with the officers' recommendations," she wrote.

The statement goes on to address the donation and photo of the officers.

"Jokingly, a Freedom Fighters Veteran & Guardian member made a reference to the event being by donation and suggested the officers contribute to the fundraiser," she wrote. "Without hesitation, one of the officers withdrew a ten-dollar bill and provided it to the member for donation, at which time the member asked if he could take a picture with the officers."

Bourgoin went on to say the officers were extended an invitation to return to the event once their shift was over, but did not say whether the officers did so.

Thin blue line patch on officer's uniform has been 'addressed'

One of the officers seen in the photo has a thin blue line patch on the front of his vest.

The controversial patch has a history of being associated with white supremacy and the symbol has been used by the Blue Lives Matter movement in the Unites States, which has grown in recent years to support police and as a counter-protest to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Police officers have come under fire for wearing the patch, which some have said is for remembering colleagues killed in the line of duty.

Tremblay said the officer wearing the thin blue line patch has removed it from his uniform and has been addressed by RCMP supervisors. No further action is expected on the part of the RCMP, he added.

Stephen Schneider, a criminology professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax said that in recent years, the symbol has also been "co-opted and radicalized and politicized," which has helped foster an "us versus them" mentality between the police and the communities they serve, particularly Black and other marginalized communities.

"The large concern is the radicalization of police," Schneider said. "We've seen very fraught relations between police and the Black community, the Indigenous community, so certainly, it's disturbing.

"For what that patch represents and the negative connotations to the communities served, it really is something police should not be wearing."