XR protester who stuck himself to a bank is spared jail – as long as he doesn't take glue outside his house
Vic Brice cannot take glue outside his home for 12 months without his probation officer's permission after sticking himself to an RBC branch in April.
Reuters
- A protester escaped a prison sentence after gluing himself to a Royal Bank of Canada branch in April.
- Vic Brice won't be allowed to take glue outside his home while he serves 12 months of probation.
- Judge William Jackson said Brice's actions came from "sincere concern" for the planet.
A member of Extinction Rebellion who stuck himself to a bank has evaded a spell in jail – as long as he doesn't take glue outside his home for a year, court documents show.
Vic Brice, a spokesman for the environmental campaign group, glued himself to a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada in Nanaimo, British Columbia in April to protest against CEO David McKay's support of a gas pipeline.
Brice, a pharmacist for 34 years, was arrested alongside other protestors and was tried in August.
He was given a conditional discharge with 12 months of probation by Provincial Court Judge William Jackson. The judge said he had not heard of someone gluing themselves to a door, but pointed out "it would certainly be an effective way of protest or at least causing disruption at the bank."
The conditions of Brice's parole included keeping the peace, 40 hours of community service and not attending the bank branch in Nanaimo.
But in another unusual condition, the judge told Brice: "You must not possess any glue, Super Glue, adhesive, fixative, or resin outside your residence, except with the prior written permission of your probation officer."
"The basis for Mr Brice's actions were a very obviously sincere concern for the immediate and long-term effects of climate change and frustration with the lack of political movement," said Jackson.
"It is not an issue that a conditional discharge is in Mr Brice's best interest. I do not believe that a conditional discharge in this particular set of facts with this particular accused would undermine public confidence in the administration of law."