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A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokesperson warned Tuesday that a person suddenly embracing “traditional values” could be a sign they are becoming an extremist.
According to CTV news, Canadian federal police arrested and charged four Quebecers – two of whom appear to be active members of the military – who were allegedly involved in “ideologically motivated violent extremism.”
“Three of the individuals have been charged for taking concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity and two have been charged with various offences related to weapons possession,” CTV reported.
RCMP spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Camille Habel spoke about the alleged militia plot to seize land in Quebec during an interview with CBC. During one portion of the interview, the CBC host asked for tips on “what the public can do in order to be vigilant or what they can do to help in trying to ensure that there is safety and security on that front.”
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“Well, radicalization in general quite often will show by people isolating themselves and changing their behavior, like changing what they’re saying on a subject, like becoming more extremist,” Habel said. “If someone you know believed in equal gender rights but all of a sudden are leaning towards, like, traditional values and that might be a sign that they’re becoming more extremist.”
The official then appeared to catch herself and cautioned, “But we also have to remember that having the most extremist views is perfectly legal in Canada and that it’s only acting with violence to prove that view that becomes a criminal offense.”
Habel’s claim that holding traditional values hints at extremism sparked swift backlash on social media, to the point that another RCMP spokeswoman worked to walk back her comments.
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“The RCMP is in no way implying that embracing traditional values makes an individual radical or extreme,” spokeswoman Marie-Eve Breton told The Epoch Times in a statement on Wednesday.
“It’s the observed and sometimes sudden change in one’s behaviour, beliefs or goals as well as tolerating the use of violence to achieve those goals, that could be one of several factors that signal a shift towards extremism,” Breton added. “Each instance would have to be examined on a case-by-case basis and all indicators would have to be considered in their totality.”
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