Liberal Pollock slams Poilievre’s silence on offensive flags at Windsor rally

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Liberal candidate Richard Pollock is imploring Conservative Pierre Poilievre to break his silence and publicly condemn profane signs waved outside the party leader’s well-attended warehouse rally in Windsor Friday evening.

“A man who wants to be prime minister does not stand mute in the face of this garbage,” Pollock told the Star Saturday morning.

The Windsor West candidate claims multiple large flags, including some reading ‘F*** Carney,’ were prominently displayed outside and were visible to the large crowds making their way into the venue.

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“Don’t mess with my prime minister,” said Pollock.

“In my view, leaders are judged by what they do. They’re also judged by what they don’t do. And for him to drive by these flags, knowing that these profane flags welcomed Conservatives into a speaking hall — I find offensive.

“We are in an economic war, and Windsor is ground zero. We need to send a message of unity to Donald Trump, not disunity. Doesn’t matter who you vote for.”

With the April 28 election just weeks away, Poilievre made his first campaign appearance in Windsor on Friday. Thousands gathered inside the warehouse off Dodge Drive near Central Avenue, enthusiastically welcoming the Conservative Party leader.

For local Conservative riding association president Al Teshuba, a few questionable flags shouldn’t detract from what he called a high-energy event focused on a positive message.

“I can see that the Liberals, or all the parties, are jealous of the crowd numbers,” Teshuba told the Star.

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“So instead of saying, ‘Wow, look at the momentum, look at the enthusiasm,’ instead they’re trying to point out one or two things that might be a distraction from the overall message.”

Large blue letters spelling out CHANGE were held up behind the Conservative leader as he delivered his message on job protection, economic recovery, tax reduction and fighting Trump tariffs. Many supporters in the crowd waved similar “change” signs.

Teshuba, who attended the rally, said the flags in question were flown from pickup trucks parked on a nearby street. He said those messages were not connected to the organized rally itself.

“I would ignore any type of negative spin or distraction,” he said.

“What we saw last night was the most historic political rally event in Windsor-Essex, and that momentum is going to carry us through to the election.”

Asked if Poilievre should denounce the profane flags, Teshuba said, “I don’t know if the leader even saw them.”

Still, Pollock argued that the Conservative leader has a duty to condemn vulgar displays, which he claims sometimes appear near Poilievre’s campaign events.

“How can you stand mute in the face of abject disrespect for our prime minister at an event that you’re hosting?” questioned Pollock.

He thinks these displays echo the kind of angry rhetoric seen during the American election.

“This is the DNA of the MAGA movement — divide and conquer,” said Pollock.

mmazak@postmedia.com

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