B.C. woman arrested after ‘racially offensive’ social media content: RCMP

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — A Chilliwack, B.C., woman has been arrested over what police are describing as racially offensive content she shared via social media.

Police say the woman was arrested on Aug. 7, but has since been released to appear in court at a later date while prosecutors consider “several” possible recommended charges. Police declined to share the suspect’s name or the account she allegedly used to make the posts.

RCMP spokeswoman Corp. Carmen Kiener said the account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was brought to the attention of police by concerned citizens and members of the media.

She said the woman was allegedly targeting members of the South Asian community, adding investigators learned of several examples but believe one person is responsible for all the content.

“Over the last month, we’ve received numerous tips. We’ve acted on all of them. We’re gathering all the information that we are receiving from the public, as well as doing our own investigation,” she said.

“It’s based on a number of things, but the investigation was initiated from the public informing us of what was going on.”

Kiener did not offer details on what police found, but said it became clear the person was based out of Chilliwack and the offenses likely occurred there.

Kiener said police hope the woman will make her first court appearance in the next few weeks, and if charges are approved, more details will be made public.

She said the level of interest in the case, coupled with the fact the woman has been particularly public with her views, led police to decide to release information about their investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press