Environmentalist protesters’ bail conditions prohibit speaking with journalists

Two people charged with mischief for climbing a bridge in Montreal at an environmentalist protest were released on bail conditions, which included not speaking to journalists. 

Two of the three people arrested agreed to the bail conditions; the third refused and began a hunger strike, reported La Presse.

The prosecutor told the first of the protesters to be released that she “may not make direct or indirect reference to these accusations in any media whatsoever, including social media,” reported Le Devoir. 

The third protester was released a week later, after a judge refused the prosecutor’s request to impose the same conditions. 

In a statement, the Fédération professionnelle de journalistes du Québec wrote that it was concerned by the conditions. “Such a measure appears to us to be contrary to freedom of expression, a right guaranteed by the Charters of Quebec and Canada,” FPJQ president Éric-Pierre Champagne wrote. 

FPJQ also noted a social media post made by Quebec’s public safety minister, who criticized media coverage of the protest, writing that “giving air time to these extremist groups proves them right and encourages them to do it again.” 
The statement was “unfortunate” and “troubling,” and reflects a “lack of understanding” of the role of the media, Champagne told Le Devoir.