Court hears bid to suspend Montreal's anti-insult bylaw

The recently adopted bylaw bans insults, harassment, threats, mistreatment and intimidation, as well as offensive and aggressive behaviour, toward city employees, including police officers.

Lawyers for the Association des juristes progressistes and the Clinique juridique de Saint-Michel told Quebec Superior Court the bylaw is too broad, infringes freedom of expression and goes against the public interest. They say it could seriously harm people already marginalized.

What's next

Justice Eleni Yiannakis will rule only on the injunction request, not on the bylaw's constitutionality, and the city was to present its arguments in the afternoon.