Canadian Prime Minister hit by stones during campaign stop
September 7, 2021, 9:37 am

Canadian Prime Minister hit by stones during campaign stop

Justin Trudeau

The BBC reporetd, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop.

According to the BBC, he was returning to his bus after visiting a brewery when he was struck by small stones. He was not injured.

It said, Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of gaining a majority government for his left-of-centre Liberal party.

It added that his campaign has been disrupted by demonstrations against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.

The BBC mentioned that just over a week ago, the prime minister was forced to cancel an election rally after a crowd of angry protesters ambushed the event.

Speaking to journalists on his campaign plane after the incident in London, Ontario, Mr Trudeau said he may have been hit on the shoulder and compared the incident to when a woman threw pumpkin seeds at him in 2016.

According to a reporter with Canada's CTV National News, two people travelling on a media bus were also hit by the gravel, although they were not injured.

Erin O'Toole, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, described the incident as "disgusting".

He tweeted: "Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence."

Mr Trudeau's plans for vaccine mandates have become a a key issue ahead of the 20 September election.

Last month, the government announced that all civil servants - including workers in federally regulated sectors, like rail - must be vaccinated by the end of October or risk losing their jobs.

Commercial air, cruise and interprovincial train passengers must also be vaccinated to travel.

It should be noted that Canada has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the world.

Source: BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.