ST. ALBERT – Images of St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper interviewed by national media against a backdrop of protesters sporting Canadian flags covered in swastikas at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday circulated over social media over the weekend, raising the ire of local residents, and two area mayors.
Many people were outraged, including St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who released joint statements on Saturday evening stating they were troubled by the image.
The protest was attended by thousands of truckers from across the country who opposed cross-border vaccine mandates and other public-health restrictions. Cooper was handing out coffee at the protest.
In an initial social media post, Heron said Saturday, “We want the rest of the country to know that MP Cooper’s presence at this rally in no way reflects the values of Edmontonians and St. Albertans. Our communities are diverse, inclusive, and welcoming — hate has absolutely no place here.”
Heron said that type of symbolism is never OK, and that it was troubling to see as the world just marked the anniversary of the Holocaust as well as the anniversary of the victims who lost their lives in the hate-based Quebec City Mosque attack five years ago.
“Along with us, many other people are hurt by his behaviour and lack of judgment, and we call upon [MP Cooper] to apologize not only to his constituents but to the rest of the country as well,” she said.
Cooper released a statement on Saturday saying he attended a peaceful protest in support of truckers and other Canadians defending their freedoms and jobs.
He said he did an impromptu interview with CBC, and moments later learned from social media that someone unknown to him was standing behind him with the symbol.
“Had I seen the symbol, I would have condemned it, as I do now,” Cooper's statement read.
“Naziism is the purest form of evil and I have always condemned it completely. Whoever flew this flag is personally responsible for that reprehensible decision and should be eternally ashamed of himself or herself. He or she does not represent the thousands of peaceful protesters who waved Canadian flags and acted responsibly. I stand with them and will continue to fight for them.”
Heron later released a statement on social media thanking Cooper for clarifying events surrounding the photograph of him standing beside a swastika at an Ottawa protest.
“More importantly, I want to thank him for publicly condemning the symbols of hate and racism with which he was associated,” Heron's post read.
On Sunday, Heron posted her thanks on social media along with a press statement Cooper had released on Saturday explaining the events.
Cooper could not be reached for comment by 6 p.m. on Sunday.