A man was handcuffed and dragged from a Langley Township council meeting by RCMP Monday.
He began shouting at the council moments after the evening meeting began.
Mayor Jack Froese called for him to allow the meeting to continue, then asked police to remove him.
A plainclothes RCMP officer cuffed the man, then dragged him out of the council chambers and into the foyer. The man did not fight, but passively resisted and would not stand up or walk. He shouted about gas chambers and swore as he was pulled from the room, and referred to the RCMP as the “Royal Conservative Goon Squad.”
He was removed from the Township hall under the Municipal Act, and was then released without charges, said Cpl. Holly Largy, the spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
Froese revealed there has been an RCMP presence at meetings for the past year, in case there were serious disruptions. He said the Township council may have to look at hiring security, rather than using police resources.
The man has disrupted meetings in the past by speaking at length, accusing local officials of undermining or disregarding the will of the people, and of breaking laws.
He has been a frequent presence at council meetings over the past two years, and at various political events around Langley, including provincial and municipal debates, for several years longer.
This is the first time he has interrupted a meeting in this way, said Froese.
He recalled that the man was at last week’s meeting as well, but spoke only once and didn’t cause a serious problem.
At public hearings, it is not uncommon for the arrested man to speak numerous times, often once on each rezoning.
He usually reads the same pre-prepared script, accusing council of violating the law. Attempts by the mayor or councillors to ask him to stick to the topic of the rezoning usually do not meet with success.
According to a multi-page letter the man sent to council and local media earlier, he seems to have been upset that a regular council meeting was scheduled for the second Monday of the month.
Typically, council meetings are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of each month, and public hearings for the second Monday.
On May 9, both a regular meeting and a public hearing were scheduled.
