Canada believes that involving in a middle finger gesture may not be a gentlemen's thing, but it doesn't trigger criminal liability either. Quebec judge Denis Galiottsautos in a recent decision stated that it is every Canadian resident’s right to show someone the middle finger if need be.
In a 26-page ruling cited by The Guardian, the judge dismissed a case against a man accused under a lawsuit of 'harassing' by showing the middle finger to his neighbour.
“To be abundantly clear, it is not a crime to give someone the finger,” read the judge's statement that further reads, “Flipping the proverbial bird is a God-given, Charter-enshrined right that belongs to every red-blooded Canadian. It may not be civil, it may not be polite, it may not be gentlemanly. Nevertheless, it does not trigger criminal liability.”
This case dates back to May 2021. A 45-year-old teacher named Epstein was then arrested by the police in the Montreal suburb of Beaconsfield for once having resulted in the gesture during an argument with the person next door, Michael Nakahe. The judge has now called Epstein’s arrest unjust while hearing the case and stating the act to be not harassment.
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