The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has already received a dozen “serious” reports in just over 24 hours on the two alleged clandestine “police stations” located in Montreal and Brossard.
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“Following our appeal to the public as part of our investigation into alleged Chinese police stations in the greater Montreal area, we received a dozen promising reports,” RCMP Sgt. Charles Poirier.
The federal police have been investigating these establishments for a few weeks because they suspect them of being used by the Chinese Communist Party to intimidate or harass Chinese nationals in Quebec, our Bureau of Investigation revealed on Thursday.
Intimidation and threats
“We are currently in the process of analyzing these reports, and we once again encourage all victims and witnesses of illegal activities, and all individuals who are subject to pressure, intimidation and threats to contact us. “, indicated to the Log RCMP Sergeant Charles Poirier.
“The RCMP reiterates once again that it will take all necessary means to counter foreign interference in Quebec and Canada,” he also said.
The establishments under the scrutiny of the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Team (INSET) are the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal, in Montreal, and the Center Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud, in Brossard. Both are led by a Brossard municipal councilor, Xixi Li.
Beijing strikes back
The Chinese government said in a press briefing on Friday that recent public statements by Canadian officials tarnish China’s reputation.
Quoted in a Canadian Press dispatch, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged Ottawa to “stop sensationalizing and hyping the issue and stop attacks and slander against China.” “.
The issue of Chinese “police stations” has been in the news for months in Canada. The Spanish civil rights organization Safeguard Defenders revealed the existence of this phenomenon on a global scale last fall, including five posts that were in Canada.
The RCMP then opened an investigation into three alleged stations in the Toronto area and one in Vancouver, which are suspected, for example, of carrying out law enforcement operations on Canadian soil to convince nationals to return to China to deal with Justice.
In December, the Trudeau government even asked the Chinese ambassador to Canada to provide explanations about these places.