Man arrested after CAQ candidate's election sign photoshopped with blood

Quebec provincial police say they have made an arrest in connection with a photoshopped image of a Coalition Avenir Québec campaign poster dripping with blood that was shared on social media.

Sylvain Lévesque, the CAQ candidate running for re-election in the Montreal riding of Chauveau, said he filed a police report Thursday morning after seeing the image online. 

"This kind of publication is unacceptable," he wrote. "We can be against ideas, but violence and intimidation will never be tolerated."

On Saturday, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said a 44-year-old man living in Saint-Béatrix, Que., in Lanaudière — outside Levesque's riding — was arrested. He will appear at the Joliette courthouse on Sept. 19.

The post in question mentioned the location of Lévesque's conscription office.

The arrest comes in the wake of other threats and acts of intimidation toward candidates in recent days. 

The SQ has since launched a 24/7 emergency hotline for all major party candidates to ensure their safety during the campaign. It came following calls from incumbent Premier François Legault to have police make themselves available to candidates who feel unsafe. 

This week, Quebec Liberal Party candidate Marwah Rizqy received death threats, while her Liberal colleague Enrico Ciccone had his Lachine constituency office broken into and vandalized the day prior.

All party leaders have condemned the violent threats, saying they have no place in an election campaign.