An Edmonton Businessman in Strathcona was vandalized sometime before Tuesday morning when his NDP sign and door were spraypainted, with the words 'Anti-Alta'. While it is difficult to picture Ryan Hastman with a balaclava and a can of spray paint, likely the grafitti was done by some young punk with too much time on their hands over Easter weekend, the words themselves have touched off a whirlwind of debate about what 'Albertan Interests' are as far as political parties go.
Disenfranchised Albertans have been coming out to Advance Polls in droves, whom they've voted for will continue to be a mystery until Election Day, but the debate rages about the fiscal perogitives of the CPC. Questions about the oil-sands and development of our Albertan north are among the foremost of many Albertan citizens. And the hotly contested battleground of Edmonton-Strathcona is one of three that may be indicative of changing public opinion.
Regardless, we hope the police catch the vandal and put him or her to work with a bucket of soapy water.
Showing posts with label Vandalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vandalism. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Vandalism Continues in Canada
The politically motivated vandalism appears to be continuing in Toronto. Despite massive police presence, tires are still being slashed, grafitti and hate messages are appearing and voters are unfortunately being intimidated.
Areas Toronto Center, and Davenport are now also reporting that Liberal supporters cars are having tires slashed. NDP and Green Party signs are also being defaced and destroyed. While candidates explain that they do expect a few signs to go missing or be destroyed each day or night, the campaign has begun to take a hateful turn.
All Party leaders and their candidates are unilaterally decrying the vandalism. While no one points blame at any other party, an assault on one is an assault on our own democracy. Intimidation at the freedom of speech, and the freedom to exercise civil right should be met with stringent repercussions for the perpetrators. I was in a debate with a friend earlier tonight, who thought of the damage in terms of a dollar value. And while yes, repairing and replacing a set of tires is at most fifteen hundred dollars, the slashing of our democracy is a blow to Canadians everywhere, who we are and what we stand for.
The people out there who lack the way to express their frustration and only resort to physical damage and gross intimidation should be tried and punished as a hate crime on democracy.
CBC Article on Continuing Vandalism
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/04/23/cv-election-vandalism.html
Toronto Star Article on the Vandalism
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/979602--election-vandalism-spreads
Areas Toronto Center, and Davenport are now also reporting that Liberal supporters cars are having tires slashed. NDP and Green Party signs are also being defaced and destroyed. While candidates explain that they do expect a few signs to go missing or be destroyed each day or night, the campaign has begun to take a hateful turn.
All Party leaders and their candidates are unilaterally decrying the vandalism. While no one points blame at any other party, an assault on one is an assault on our own democracy. Intimidation at the freedom of speech, and the freedom to exercise civil right should be met with stringent repercussions for the perpetrators. I was in a debate with a friend earlier tonight, who thought of the damage in terms of a dollar value. And while yes, repairing and replacing a set of tires is at most fifteen hundred dollars, the slashing of our democracy is a blow to Canadians everywhere, who we are and what we stand for.
The people out there who lack the way to express their frustration and only resort to physical damage and gross intimidation should be tried and punished as a hate crime on democracy.
CBC Article on Continuing Vandalism
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/04/23/cv-election-vandalism.html
Toronto Star Article on the Vandalism
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/979602--election-vandalism-spreads
Friday, April 22, 2011
What Country Is This Again?
Spell it out for me. What country do we live in again? Canada. Right. Right.
So on one hand, this is an outlandish, and downright shocking event. On the other, given what we've seen over the past years that has led up to the election, is it that surprising?
Thursday night, more than 30 homes in the St. Paul Riding in Toronto were vandalized. Tires were slashed, and vehicles were vandalized in an event not unlike the 2008 brake line cuttings in the same riding. More chilling, all the homes vandalized were related or supporters of Liberal Incumbent Carolyn Bennett. Even vandalized was Ms. Bennett's financial officer's vehicle, even though he had no visible sign for the Liberal party.
The form of voter intimidation is distressing to an extreme. Though incredibly unlikely to be orchestrated by any other party, residents who were victims in the crime point out that the recent slew of attack ads and media may have their hand in encouraging this behavior.
Ms Joanne Mills, who had four tires slashed was quoted in the Star;
Another woman, who had her tires slashed remarked that a neighbour yelled at her.
We expect these tactics, these monstrous un-democratic vandalism and intimidation tactics in other nations, not in Canada. But here they are. Wake up Canada. Our own people are being victimized, being derided for their freedom to choose. Our own people are being attacked on our own home turf. And not in a rural nowhere either, in Toronto, the largest metropolitain bastion of our nation.
Do we allow this? Do people deserve to have hundreds of dollars of vandalism or to be targeted in their own homes and amongst their own families for having the guts to stand up and say "This is what I believe in?"
What's next? Tires slashed one day, will it be Molotovs, tomorrow? Machetes? We have always said our country was proud, was above that behaviour. That our democracy was fair and free for everyone. Yet that isn't the case for 30 households this morning. Will we not take a stand?
The Article from the National Post
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/04/22/liberal-supporters-get-tires-slashed-l-scratched-on-cars/
An Article on the Incident from the Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/979199--residents-worried-after-vandals-strike-homes-with-liberal-signs-in-st-paul-s?bn=1
So on one hand, this is an outlandish, and downright shocking event. On the other, given what we've seen over the past years that has led up to the election, is it that surprising?
Thursday night, more than 30 homes in the St. Paul Riding in Toronto were vandalized. Tires were slashed, and vehicles were vandalized in an event not unlike the 2008 brake line cuttings in the same riding. More chilling, all the homes vandalized were related or supporters of Liberal Incumbent Carolyn Bennett. Even vandalized was Ms. Bennett's financial officer's vehicle, even though he had no visible sign for the Liberal party.
The form of voter intimidation is distressing to an extreme. Though incredibly unlikely to be orchestrated by any other party, residents who were victims in the crime point out that the recent slew of attack ads and media may have their hand in encouraging this behavior.
Ms Joanne Mills, who had four tires slashed was quoted in the Star;
- “I attribute this to Stephen Harper’s attack ads that make people think this kind of behavior is acceptable.”
Another woman, who had her tires slashed remarked that a neighbour yelled at her.
- “Vote Conservative. It wouldn’t have happened.”
We expect these tactics, these monstrous un-democratic vandalism and intimidation tactics in other nations, not in Canada. But here they are. Wake up Canada. Our own people are being victimized, being derided for their freedom to choose. Our own people are being attacked on our own home turf. And not in a rural nowhere either, in Toronto, the largest metropolitain bastion of our nation.
Do we allow this? Do people deserve to have hundreds of dollars of vandalism or to be targeted in their own homes and amongst their own families for having the guts to stand up and say "This is what I believe in?"
What's next? Tires slashed one day, will it be Molotovs, tomorrow? Machetes? We have always said our country was proud, was above that behaviour. That our democracy was fair and free for everyone. Yet that isn't the case for 30 households this morning. Will we not take a stand?
The Article from the National Post
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/04/22/liberal-supporters-get-tires-slashed-l-scratched-on-cars/
An Article on the Incident from the Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/979199--residents-worried-after-vandals-strike-homes-with-liberal-signs-in-st-paul-s?bn=1
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