BOTH SIDES ERRED DURING POT PROTEST

THERE CAN be no doubt that the RCMP should not have tackled a lone pot
protester and attempted to take away his placard during the Billy Barker
Days festival over the weekend.

Freedom of speech is a right that is not only guaranteed in the
Constitution of Canada, but also is a vital part of any real democracy. For
police to crack down on views with which they disagree is simply outrageous.

However, as with any right, the right to free speech also comes with
responsibilities. Had Mr. Payne quietly held his picket sign in the park
and allowed people to take in his message or ignore it as they chose, that
would have been fine with us.

Instead, he chose to repeatedly run in front of the stage with his sign
during some of the most popular entertainment of the weekend - notably the
Chilliwack concert on Saturday night.

This, in our opinion, went beyond the expression of free speech in a
democratic society and stepped over the line into the realm of the
obnoxious. He didn't have to take that route. He could have made his point
as people streamed into the park prior to the music starting.

People didn't come to LeBourdais Park to have that placard waved in their
face while they were trying to watch a concert.

In our opinion, the police stepped over the line in trying to wrestle his
sign away, and Payne stepped over the line by shoving his message into
people's faces.