The case of assaults on TVA Nouvelles journalists in the anti-mask demonstrations last weekend is now passing through the legal arena.
• Read also: Intimidation of journalists denounced
• Read also: TVA journalist entwined: a “proof of love” and not an assault on the journalist
• Read also: On the verge of tears, he apologizes for having “bullied” a journalist
The two individuals who hugged Kariane Bourassa against her will are the subject of a formal complaint of assault filed with the Quebec police on Wednesday.
The allegations occurred during a demonstration against the wearing of the compulsory mask in front of the National Assembly on Sunday.
The journalist, holding her microphone in one hand and an umbrella in the other, was in the middle of a conversation on the air. Jean-François Mongrain and Jean-Guillaume Tremblay came to her side, then hugged her unexpectedly.
Kariane Bourassa and her lawyer René Verret went to the Quebec City police offices on Wednesday afternoon to meet with investigators. A formal assault complaint was then filed against the two men.
Mr. Mongrain apologized in interview at Journal Tuesday, while Mr. Tremblay refused to make such an act of contrition when he met Wednesday in Saguenay.
“It has already happened that people attack journalists, recalls Me René Verret interviewed at Journal. For us, it is important to denounce these behaviors which are completely unacceptable. “
On Saturday, journalist Yves Poirier was also the target of anti-mask demonstrators, in particular being thrown an empty container at his head.
Photo Jean-François Desgagnés
Jean-Guillaume Tremblay
–
–
–
In the camp of investigators
The filing of a complaint is the trigger for the judicial process.
The Criminal Code identifies a situation where an assault is committed when a person “uses force, directly or indirectly, against another person without their consent” intentionally.
The ball is now in the court of investigators, whose job will consist in meeting the two men targeted by the complaint and, if necessary, witnesses, explains Mr.e Verret.
Once their formalities are completed, the police will hand over the investigation report to the DPCP, which will decide whether or not charges will be laid.
A person who is convicted of assault can be sentenced to up to five years in prison. If the offense is tried by summary conviction, the maximum penalty is instead 18 months in prison and a fine of $ 5,000.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Jean-Francois Mongrain
–
–
–
Arrest of a man
Hundreds of hate messages were sent to the journalist in the days following the protest. Among the authors of the messages, Guillaume Lagacé, a resident of Saint-Placide, in the Laurentians, was arrested Tuesday evening by the police of the Sûreté du Québec for threats made on social media.
The 26-year-old is expected to face two counts of threats and incitement to hatred.
In a publication that he shared on Wednesday morning, Guillaume Lagacé did not hide to say that he had had a visit from the police around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The man obviously seems to take his arrest lightly since he then writes: “It’s nothing to worry about, it’s part of the game of society”, accompanied by a smile. Those comments were deleted from his Facebook page later that day.
–
