WINNIPEG — A Canadian non-profit legal organization is intervening on behalf of a “Star Trek” fan fighting to use a personalized licence plate deemed offensive by Manitoba Public Insurance.
Nick Troller’s licence plate with the text “ASIMIL8” was confiscated by MPI in April after the Crown corporation received complaints from two Indigenous people about its reference to the word “assimilate.”
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms says MPI’s decision violates Troller’s freedom of expression.
The organization’s founder, John Carpay, tells CTV News that whenever there’s a conflict between the right to express oneself and the right not to be offended, “government ought to come down on the side of free expression.”
The justice centre says it will be filing paperwork to bring the case to court after the MPI refused their request to return Troller’s licence plate.
Troller says his licence plate refers to the catchphrase “you will be assimilated” that is used on “Star Trek Next Generation” by the villainous aliens called the Borg.