Canadian students: Sorry we used Nazi salutes, swastikas

Comparing Canadian police to Nazis was overdoing it, Quebec’s student federation has acknowledged.

“We think it was an error in judgment that they used that sign,” said Martine Desjardins, the federation’s president, referring to the Nazi salutes that have become a recurring motif at student-led protests in Montreal.

Nazi imagery has repeatedly been employed during the demonstrations, which began in February over university costs, and have since widened into some of the most dramatic unrest the province has witnessed in decades. Quebec police have used controversial tactics in dealing with protesters, who in some cases have responded by referring to the officers as “SS” and have printed swastikas in pamphlets criticizing local law enforcement.

Though they were used to mock police rather than express support for Nazism, the references to genocidal Germany angered local Jewish groups. Tuesday’s apology came after B’nai Brith Canada issued a statement condemning the Nazi salutes.

“The actions of these protesters, whether for the purposes of deriding Montreal police or drawing attention to their cause, defile the memory of the Holocaust and remind us just how quickly anti-Semitism and the manifestations of hate can venture their way into our public discourse,” the statement said.

In her response late Tuesday, Desjardins added that use of the Nazi salute fails to “represent the values of Quebec and Canada.”