THUNDER BAY – A police investigation launched nearly two months ago into racist social media pages continues.
Thunder Bay Police Service spokesman Chris Adams on Tuesday confirmed officers are still looking into a series of Facebook pages which have popped up, which police previously labelled as “extreme racism” and said appeared to target the city’s Aboriginal community
“That investigation is still ongoing. Anything that involves an Internet based organization such as Facebook is going to take time,” he said. “It’s still on the radar for us.”
While he did not want to speculate on the outcome, possible charges could include harassment or even hate crime.
It’s not a cut and dry case.
“In general, these are tough investigations because of the layers and the fact you’re dealing with organizations that are very much international in scope and you have to weight that against the right of free speech and the ability to be photographed when you’re out and about,” Adams said.
“There are a lot of issues that are tied to it and the laws that are in place don’t always address those. Let’s face it, technology outstrips everything we’re used to right now and we’re still coming to grips on how to keep up with it.”
