The police war against dissident sidewalk chalk has reached Canada.

Isolated incidents of this form of peaceful dissent have happened abroad, but, almost needless to say, the bulk of them have occurred in the Land of the Free (see map, above, of chalk-terrorist incidents).

Indeed, riot police are sometimes needed in the US to repel this dangerous form of thoughtcrime. But what about kids and their summer hopscotch?

“The children in your scenario would not be committing a misdemeanor because they have no malicious intent,” [Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office spokesman Frank] Mateljan replied. “Therefore, they would not be arrested.”

Not necessarily so, as it happens. But pay attention to Mateljan’s words. “No malicious intent,” he says. Political dissent, in his grey-flannel mind, is equivalent to criminal malice.

It’s hardly surprising that chalk-use is now seen as a crime in Harper’s Canada™. Dissent has, after all, been considered a criminal offence here for a while now. But, as usual, we won’t be seeing any outbursts of indignation about this latest clampdown from Canada’s hypocritical Speech Warriors™.

[h/t Antonia Z.]