Military police in B.C. make two arrests over homophobic, racist Facebook page

COMOX, B.C. – Military police have arrested two soldiers over allegedly homophobic and racist comments made on a Facebook page.

The Department of National Defence says military police received complaints of defamation and harassment in early January over posts on the “Cpl Bloggins” Facebook page and two members of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa were arrested on Jan. 22.

No charges have been laid but earlier this month, military police received a new complaint for comments posted on another Facebook page with the same name.

Military spokesman Maj. Yves Desbiens says the investigation continues and no further details can be released.

Katherine Bickford, a retired soldier whose same-sex partner works at 19 Wing Comox on Vancouver Island, says the couple has been identified and harassed on the page along with other same-sex, single-mother and minority members of the Forces.

Bickford says she believes some of the comments are threatening but Comox Valley RCMP have told her there’s not much they can do about the online comments.