Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh didn’t have the greatest time in Peterborough, Ontario, after a campaign stop where he was harassed aggressively.
On Tuesday, Singh was in Peterborough campaigning for fellow party member Jen Deck.
When Singh left the building where the event was taking place, he was met with a large and rowdy crowd of people who didn’t make him feel welcome.
It wasn’t the first time Singh was heckled, but it was an instance that he indicated he won’t soon forget.
It wasn’t just casual political heckling, either. There were some people who went so far as to wish death on the federal NDP leader.
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Singh addressed the situation on Parliament Hill on Wednesday after some reporters asked him about the ordeal. He called it a “tense moment” in response to a question wondering what may have sparked the ire of the crowd.
“In terms of the death element, it was a general sense of ‘I hope you die,’ and I don’t know who said it in particular, and that was included in the words that were being said,” Singh recounted.
“It was very aggressive, it was very violent, it was very tense.”
The NDP leader said he was fine after the experience and that he handled it. However, he added that he doesn’t think that’s what “politics should devolve into.”
In a video that has emerged and been shared on social media, you can hear the crowd saying things like, “Liberal,” and “You turned your back on the people.”
Then you hear more aggressive sentiments being shouted like, “traitor,” “not welcome,” “piece of sh*t,” and “stay the f*ck out of Peterborough.”
Nicole Comber, owner of Peterburgers, and others from their “Hold Fast” gang came out to yell at @theJagmeetSingh in Peterborough today — and give a message that he is “not welcome”.
This small but vocal group does not represent our community.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/GnEZR3Jox1
— Tanya (@TanyaFusco) May 10, 2022
He did say that people should be able to express their feelings about issues, but that there’s a line, and that includes wishing death on people.
“We don’t want a society like that.”
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