A week after the small police department of Kensington, Canada, gained notoriety around the world by announcing their intent to punish drunk drivers with the gritty tunes of Nickelback — writing that “if you are foolish enough to get behind the wheel after drinking, then a little Chad Kroeger and the boys is the perfect gift for you” — the department has entirely backtracked on their grunge-hard-rock threats with a long apology. Saying they simply wanted to send a strong, albeit silly message to drunk drivers for the holiday season, a post on their Facebook page explains how their “don’t drink and drive” campaign was quickly overshadowed with negativity toward the band. “So what do you do when you use a joke to carry a message, but the message turns into the joke?” a portion of the statement reads. “I am sorry to Chad, Ryan, Mike and Daniel. Not as just members of Nickelback, but more importantly as fellow Canadians. I’m sorry guys because I didn’t take a moment to think of you as just guys. Having to watch as media around the world takes a pot shot at you and having no way to defend yourself … as Canadians we are better than that. We don’t embrace being a bully and being cruel and belittling of the work others have done. We strive for acceptance, for equality and fairness.”
TMZ reports that reps for Nickelback actually reached out to the department to politely request they remove the post; Vulture has reached out for comment as well.