Threats on social media get Quebec man fired

MONTREAL – Quebec election results have sparked reaction of all kinds – including disturbing posts online.

A quick review of social media sites reveals thousands of comments about the outcome of the election and the tragic shooting outside the Metropolis theatre on Tuesday night.

But there’s one Quebecer who’s out of a job because of something he posted on Facebook.

On Wednesday, Quebec provincial police paid a visit to Eidos Montreal, a gaming company, as part of its investigation into an online threat posted by one if its employees.

Just minutes after the shooting outside the Metropolis theatre in downtown Montreal on Tuesday night, this comment was posted to Blake Marsh’s personal Facebook page: “You just can’t find good assassins these days.”

While suggesting that the person who allegedly tried to kill Quebec’s next premier was inept may not be interpreted as a direct threat, what was posted in the comments after piqued the concern of both the police and Marsh’s boss, Eidos general manager Stéphane D’Astous.

The controversial comment read: “I give this b***h a month before someone with better aim comes forth and does what must be done.”

“Wednesday morning when I came into the office,” D’Astous told Global News, “the first 10 emails were from people I didn’t know sending me screenshots with links to the unfortunate posting on Facebook.”

Although he had been an employee with Eidos for four years, Marsh was fired immediately.

“Because of the nature of his posting . . . I decided to terminate his position at our company,” D’Astous confirmed. “He crossed the line very clearly.”

His decision was also influenced by the fact that Marsh clearly stated on his Facebook page that his employer was Eidos Montreal.

“We were indirectly linked to this which was totally unacceptable . . . we have an internal policy of zero tolerance of any type of intimidation or aggression in any shape or form.”

Although he did not fire Marsh in person, D’Astous was aware of his former employee’s reaction: “He thought posting things on social networks was personal.”

But Université de Montreal law professor Pierre Trudel makes the point that this is simply not the case.

“There is a significant difference between what is published online and what we can exchange or tell in a private conversation,” Trudel emphasized.

“Sometimes people take a risk by putting online what they would be inclined to say to their friends or family.”

He admits that given the sheer volume of content online it’s often difficult for investigators to sift through it all and make a distinction between what is illegal or simply just tasteless.

Although the point could be made that if it’s tricky for the police, it’s even harder for the average person to judge what to post, Trudel says the law is clear.

“Everything happening online which is against the law remains against the law . . . if you have criminal threats or recommendations of murder online, it is against the law.”

As for Blake Marsh, his Facebook account has since been closed and he could not be reached for comment, but he may face charges for uttering death threats against Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois.

Lt. Guy Lapointe of the Sûreté du Québec told Global News that what people post online is monitored and threats are taken very seriously.

“We investigate as soon as we get a report . . . and if charges can be filed, they will be filed,” he said.

Lapointe would not comment directly on Marsh’s case as the investigation is still ongoing, however D’Astous verifed that the police had paid a visit to his offices to obtain details about his former employee.

“They said that we weren’t the only case,” he noted.

A fact affirmed by Lt. Lapointe: “People on their Facebook are posting all sorts of things and they’re not thinking of the consequences.”

Sound off: Do you think that people should be fired for what they post on social media? Let us know on Facebook.