Police show up at Tanya Gaw's door over 'hate speech'

In the exchange, which was captured on video, an officer identifying himself as Constable Mason told Gaw the complaint concerns material posted to her website and social media accounts that he said specifically targets Muslims and Islam.

Tanya Gaw, co-founder of Action4Canada, says two police officers arrived at her home to inform her she was under investigation for the "willful promotion of hate" under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, with no evidence to support the complaint.

The exchange, captured on video, was discussed at length on Friday's Rebel Roundup livestream by Sheila Gunn Reid and Drea Humphrey, who said the encounter was both alarming and emblematic of a double standard in how hate-related complaints are pursued by police.

In the recording, an officer identifying himself as Constable Mason told Gaw the complaint concerns material posted to her website and social media accounts that he said specifically target Muslims and Islam. Gaw pushed back, telling the officer everything on her site is factual and carefully researched, and asked for a letter detailing the specific posts in question before agreeing to speak further.

Drea said Gaw has a track record of choosing her words carefully, noting she is currently facing an unrelated lawsuit from a drag queen and, in that case too, was measured in what she actually said publicly.

"She really didn't even say the things. Like she was very careful in her wording," Drea said.

The hosts also noted the officer's appearance and manner during the exchange, joking that he did not initially strike them as a credible authority figure.

"Why does that cop look like during the pandemic when Justin Trudeau was giving press conferences on the steps of Rideau Cottage?" Sheila said.

Beyond the tone of the encounter, the hosts questioned why police would investigate Gaw's website while, in their view, taking no similar action against other public figures who have made inflammatory comments. They pointed to remarks made by Harsha Walia, former executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, after a string of church fires several years ago.

"And when the churches first started burning, she said, burn it all down. Did any police go to her door? No, of course not," Sheila said.

Drea said the pattern raises broader concerns about who is targeted for scrutiny and who is not.

"I wonder how many police are going to the doors of people posting hateful things against Christians. That's happening all the time," Drea said.

Rebel News intends to follow up directly with Gaw for more detail on the investigation.

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