Harassed at the consulate?
The way this story has been headlined, an aged man was harassed outside the Russian consulate – but Claude Fournier was helping Serge Sasseville blast the Ukrainian national anthem at the building, as has been done for months.
OK, antiwar gesture maybe for a few days, but Vladimir Putin is not in that building. Harassing the people who work there isn’t going to achieve anything – let it drop.
Update: OK, I was wrong. Play the anthem. Throw eggs. Fine by me.
steph 10:28 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
I encourage him to continue. Russian consulate employees should be ashamed of their country.
D. T. 11:05 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
This call for mealy-mouthed civility in protecting the agents of a state engaged in a criminal war with constant atrocities from one daily minute of nuisance is cowardly bullshit and is absolutely beneath you. For shame.
walkerp 11:11 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
Yes, I wouldn’t use such critical language, but pressure needs to be put on Russia at every level to then put the pressure on their leadership to get off their current insane path of aggression.
DeWolf 11:53 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
You might have a point if they were targeting consular staff at their homes, Kate, but the consulate is the literal embodiment of Russia in Montreal. I can’t think of a more appropriate target for daily protests.
azrhey 12:19 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
yeah, besides maybe not the lower level staff, but the consul and assorted attachés, that form the de facto apparatchik can and will put pressure on their counterparts in the homeland if their cosy consular jobs less fun. Change in Moscow will come either from violence at home or from pressure from Russians abroad.
dhomas 14:20 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
If the folks working at the consulate are unhappy with the conditions of their workplace, they can change jobs. That would involve going home to Russia in this case. Which is worse?
qatzelok 14:39 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
As far as I know, no one protested in front of the USA consulate after the N.E.D. (CIA) coup d’etated Ukraine’s elected government in 2014. Nor did they protest when the Ukrainian coup government started killing ethnic Russians and banning opposition parties.
Following trends is not the same thing as being politically aware or knowledgable.
Ian 20:14 on 2022-09-21 Permalink
Oh, you supported the Soviet puppet government? Thanks for coming out against the Orange Revolution, it’s good to see you’re on the wrong side of history about this, too.