MONTREAL -- Quebec City police are being accused of threatening G7 summit protesters with a photo of movie star and internet sensation Chuck Norris.
Montreal political science professor Francis Dupuis-Deri lodged an ethics complaint against nine officers Wednesday for actions he says he witnessed during protests in Quebec City last summer during the G7 summit.
Dupuis-Deri's complaint includes video of a June 8 protest in which a photo of Norris with a gun in each hand is seen posted to the door of a police van used to transport an arrested protester. Dupuis-Deri says he identified the officers named in the complaint by their badge numbers.
The professor, who researches social movements and police profiling, said today he believes police used the photo to intimidate protesters and by doing so, they undermined the public's trust.
Images of the action film star are widely shared online. The Norris memes typically include absurd exaggerations about the actor's strength.
Representatives from the Quebec City police and the mayor's office declined comment, citing the ethics investigation.
