RCMP says it is “looking into” leaked chat group messages that allegedly show officers gleefully boasting about use-of-force against Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa..Screenshots of the group chat — which is titled “SOCIAL Musical Ride 2022” — were plastered across multiple social media groups over the weekend, its contents sparking widespread outrage..“It looks like the RCMP has a leaky ship,” one man wrote before dumping the screenshots into a Telegram chat..The screenshots show officers excitedly discussing the trampling of a woman by a horse.. FL6rLIkXEAYo-3U .“That’s awesome,” wrote Scott Peever in response to the incident..“Just watched that horse video — that is awesome!!! We should practice that manoeuvre,” wrote one member named Marca..“Agreed!!!” wrote Andrew Nixon.. IMG_0720 . Screen-Shot-2022-02-22-at-9.06.31-AM . 6b3331f993c6e388 .The post showing Peever in 2018 was live on February 20, 2022, but has since been removed..“This material is not representative of those who have committed themselves to serving Canadians with integrity and professionalism,” reads a statement from RCMP in response to the screenshots..“All members of the RCMP know that, whether on or off duty, they have a responsibility to hold themselves to the highest professional standards and are subject to the Code of Conduct of the RCMP at all times.”.As for the horse trampling, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) claims that a bicycle was thrown at the feet of the horses in “an attempt to injure it.”.Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it is investigating the reported serious injury of a woman in an interaction with a police horse and the discharging of “less-lethal firearms.”.Six investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the cases, the unit confirmed Sunday..Reid Small is a BC-based reporter for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
