Hundreds sign petition against Tucker Carlson speaking tour in Alberta
Controversial US political commentator and former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson will be speaking in Alberta later this month, and a new petition is calling for the Edmonton event to be ruled out.
Started by Pride Corner on Whyte, an organization dedicated to the safety of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in Edmonton, the petition calls for Rogers Place to cancel the show, which is scheduled for January 24.
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“The last thing we need as a city and as a society right now is handing a microphone to someone who espouses hatred, fear, and division,” Pride Corner on Whyte stated in an Instagram post.
“We are encouraging other queer, women’s rights, and BIPOC organizations in our city and across Alberta to sign our petition calling for the canceling of this show.”
It’s the second date by Carlson in the province, as he is set to speak in Calgary on January 24 as well, wrapping up with a conversation between the political commentator and Premier Danielle Smith.
That announcement sparked a wave of backlash online, including an online petition to keep Carlson out of Canada. However, the former news anchor proved popular with Albertans, as the Calgary event sold out within days, resulting in an Edmonton show being added.
Carlson’s popularity took off with his nightly Fox News program, Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he gained widespread attention by bringing far-right talking points to the mainstream. He was let go from the Fox News program last year and has been hosting a talk show on X since.
He has faced criticism for his anti-immigration statements, anti-LGBTQ remarks, and downplaying the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill in 2021. He was also singled out in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over claims that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged.
Speaking with him at the Edmonton event, media mogul and columnist Conrad Black was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007, where he spent three and a half years in prison. He was pardoned in 2019 by then-US president Donald Trump.
Carlson’s other guest speaker, Rex Murphy, is a former mainstay on the CBC national network and now writes columns for the National Post, often criticizing the Trudeau government.
With files from Allison Stephen
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