NDP federal leader Jagmit Singh was verbally harassed on Wednesday during a campaign in Peterborough, Ont.
Singh was in town to show support for Jen Deck, the NDP’s Peterborough-Cavarta candidate, in the June 2 provincial elections.
According to KawarthaNow, Singh said “it’s a great honor to be here” and asked the audience to applaud Deck. “Jen is an educator, and educators are so important in building a good society.
After being warmly welcomed by his supporters, Singh also faced a crowd of protesters shouting obscene words at him.
In social media videos, they can be heard saying “You’re a traitor” and “You’re shit,” while others tell him to “fuck off” as he leaves Deck’s window in a waiting jeep. Some raised their middle finger.
What exactly the crowd was protesting was not entirely clear, although the word “freedom” could be heard.
Singh said politicians who are fueling the split are partly to blame for such voice protests, but did not name names.
“There is a responsibility on the part of politicians who deliberately incite these divisions or deliberately spread misinformation,” Singh added.
Some on social media believed that the crowd was there for racist reasons, others that the anger was purely political. Many tweeted to say that the actions of a few do not represent their city.
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