Anti-vaccine protest featuring effigies of B.C. politicians slammed as 'disturbing,' 'offensive'
A protest at the B.C. legislature featuring hanging effigies of provincial politicians went too far, according to critics concerned about escalating behaviour from those opposed to COVID-19 vaccines and public health measures.
At a sunset rally last Thursday, effigies with the faces of Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth hanged prominently behind the stage.
Asked about the protest by CFAX 1070 host Al Ferraby, Farnworth pointed out the number of people opposed to COVID-19 restrictions is relatively small compared to those who have embraced vaccination and other safety measures.
"It's incredibly disturbing when you see that," the minister said. "But it's pathetic, too."
The protesters evoked the Nuremburg trials, where doctors were convicted of mass murder and human experimentation during the Holocaust.
The CEO of the Jewish Federation said comparing COVID-19 public health measures to the atrocities of the Second World War is "offensive."
"It's just a plain lie," Ezra Shanken told CTV News. "You cannot keep saying this and hope the more you say it the more it becomes true – it's not true."
Shanken said not only does the comparison re-inflict trauma on those whose families perished in the Holocaust, it also hinders efforts to educate the public about the horrific past.
Heidi Tworek, an assistant professor at UBC with a specialization in public policy and history, said it's important not to assume everyone who is unvaccinated supports these kinds of demonstration. She noted there are many reasons people haven't had their shots.
Still, Tworek said, the behaviour demonstrated at last week's event is alarming.
"The fact that it's a very small number of people doesn't mean we shouldn't take this seriously, because the level of escalation is becoming quite concerning," she added. "At the point that we get to effigies, I think we are at a level of personal threat that takes us to another zone."
Victoria police said they're aware of the protest and are "gathering information about the nature and circumstances of what occurred."
Anti-vaxxers have previously blocked access to hospitals and interrupted a Remembrance Day gathering. They're also one of the reasons Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau is looking for a new space for her constituency office.
"Over the past couple of months there have been some troubling incidents for the staff, people coming in who are more aggressive than usual," she said in an interview with CTV News.
Last week, with a protest against health restrictions planned outside her office, Furstenau said she sent staff home. The Greens share a space with others, and she said when protesters realized her staff weren't around, they approached others in the space – something she said she couldn't stand for.
Furstenau realizes there are more stresses with people struggling to find housing and accessing mental health supports. Still, she said, the effigies were a step too far.
"There's no way anyone should think of that as acceptable demonstration."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.