A Quebec TV Analyst's Comment About Gangs & Nationality Has The Internet Furious

A clip from Quebec TV show Salut Bonjour is circulating on the internet, sparking outrage over a guest's comments on gang members' nationalities that many are calling racist.

While the full segment is no longer available online, the clip shows the man, who's identified as police response analyst Daniel Cléroux, saying, "He doesn't have the background of a potential gang member at all, firstly because of his nationality." Internet users say Cléroux was on the show to discuss the fatal shooting of a Saint-Michel teenager, who is white.

Even Montreal's police service (the SPVM) took to social media to say, "The #SPVM wants to dissociate itself from the unacceptable remarks made during this interview. This person does not speak on our behalf and has never been employed by the Service."

Cléroux is reportedly a former patrolman of the Laval police service.

Comedian and activist Renzel Dashington posted the clip on Instagram with the caption "He's the same one who will ask you if you're a Quebecer... but what nationality? [...] Racism at its best!"

Dashington's post has over 2,000 "likes."

Meanwhile, the Twitterverse is full of reactions from people condemning the comment.

"Disgusting to imply that someone's nationality is indicative of criminality. It says a lot about our justice system when racist ideas like this are conveyed by "experts" in the field. @salutbonjour aren't you ashamed?" wrote @lo_psd.

"Will Minister [Benoit] Charette firmly denounce this video excerpt from Salut Bonjour and, above all, will he end up recognizing systemic racism in Quebec and taking action to put an end to it?" tweeted @_QueenOfFluff.

Dashington is asking for "a real apology" from Salut Bonjour.

In another post, he highlights an apparent Salut Bonjour direct message that says: "Our show is live and we don't always have control over what our guests say. Rest assured, however, that we will do the appropriate follow-up."

Dashington wrote that the show being live "is not an absolution from being a responsible content producer."

He continued, "This morning 1 point for the normalization of racism in Quebec."

MTL Blog reached out to Salut Bonjour but did not receive an immediate response.