While the handful of protesters in Bell Park today were loud and disturbing, hundreds of people on hand for the historic planting of the 10 millionth tree in Greater Sudbury were eclipsed.
Although many had come to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Jane Goodall plant the 10 millionth tree as part of the award-winning Green Sudbury re-greening program, there were a handful of people protesting against the first minister.
Despite the hundreds of supporters on hand for the planting of historic trees, the twenty or so protesters parked next to the William Bell Gazebo in Bell Park, trying to interrupt the ceremony with chants, shouts and banners. .
In addition to the flags that have become “Fk Trudeau” communes, protesters shouted accusations at the prime minister, calling him a communist dictator, for example, and “Blackface Hitler.”
Protesters also had words for the media present, shouting insults at local media journalists and even following some journalists to call them obscenities.
Several of the attendees begged the protesters to show some decorum, pointed out that there were children present and asked them to stop using vulgarities. Others simply demanded that the protesters “shut up.”
A member of the Prime Minister’s security team spoke to the most vocal of the protesters and told him to please not hold her while speaking the renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. As protesters complied with the request for a while, the silence lasted just over a minute before they began singing that it was a “World Economic Forum pawn” and that it was part of the “brainwashing of climate change.” through their role. as an environmental activist.
Although he could barely be heard amid the group’s shouts, Trudeau responded to the protesters.
“We live in the largest country in the world,” he said, drowned out by the crowd afterwards. “One of the tricks, though, to living in one of the world’s great democracies, is that it’s not just about sharing your opinions, it’s about listening to others.”
Goodall also tried to talk to protesters, but was cut off several times by protesters’ cries.
“If you don’t have hope, if you don’t feel your actions will make a difference, like these people who have been calling here,” he told protesters. “You’re screaming because you’re expecting something …”
But he couldn’t finish before a protester shouted, “Goodall is a communist!”
“Okay, then …” Goodall said contemptuously, to the laughter of the audience.
Goodall then pointed to the few Every Child Matters flags in the crowd, before being cut again.
“I can see out there, ‘Every child matters,'” he said. “Every child and every individual matters, every choice matters, and…” he replied once more.
“I agree with you, so what if you could shut up for a while?”
And although the protesters were loud, and occasionally drowned out the speakers, they themselves were drowned out by the applause of the hundreds who came to witness the event.
You can watch a video of today’s event below.