One angry resident of British Columbia wants to see the prime minister of Canada hung for treason. And he’s not the only one making overt threats toward Justin Trudeau.
A man identified as Justin Gordon is making waves on social media after he brought a prop noose and gallows to protest Justin Trudeau in British Columbia on Wednesday. Trudeau was set to speak at a Liberal Party event.
Gordon posted a picture of himself with the prop on Facebook, stating, “hope this sends a clear message. There is only one penalty for treason.”
Due to perceived threats to Trudeau’s safety, police decided it was unsafe for the prime minister to attend the event. Critics decried this move, saying it made the prime minister look weak.
Naturally, the Left wasn’t pleased with Gordon’s use of props. Leftist commentator Neil Waytowich criticized Gordon, saying his actions were anti-democratic and selfish. Another Leftist suggested the police should take Gordon’s guns away.
The Trudeau government’s decision to implement and maintain federal vaccine mandates has angered a lot of Canadians. Many Canadians are openly plotting violence, or at the very least, glorifying violence against the prime minister on social media.
Last year, a man was charged for throwing gravel at Trudeau during a campaign event. Another man in Kitchener was charged for uttering threats to the prime minister by Waterloo Police. Uttering threats is a criminal offence in Canada, with the maximum penalty being 5 years in prison.
Experts suggest that violent extremism is on the rise in Canada, partially due to people spending more time online due to the pandemic.
A report released last summer by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) states that “extremist” conspiracy theories have flourished in Canada. The authors suggest this is due to the Covid pandemic, as well emergency responses that “infringed on personal freedoms.”
UPDATE: The article was updated on May 27 to include additional context. Read more about our editorial standards.
