PQ, BQ leaders to attend reading of FLQ Manifesto
Admittedly, the Canadian attitude toward history can often seem a little peculiar.
While in most countries, being seen at an event at which terrorist literature will be recited would be political suicide, in Canada is can be A-OK. So long as you're a Quebec separatist.
The Government of Quebec recently withdrew its support for "Le Moulin a Paroles", an outdoor poetry and spoken-word reading after a recital of the Front du Liberation du Quebec Manifesto was added to the program.
“Our government doesn’t want to have anything to do with this event. At first, it was supposed to be about poetry, but now with the FLQ manifesto, we are closer to bombs and assassinations,” said Employmen Minister Sam Hamad.
“This brings us back to the October Crisis and we don’t think it’s a good idea,” Hamad added.
This isn't to say that the October Crisis should never be commemorated, but the event in question is intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
“Now it’s become a political issue more than an historical event,” Hamad concluded.
The addition of the Manifesto reading is simply an attempt by Pequistes to hijack the event in favour of their political cause -- no wonder Gilles Duceppe and Pauline Marois are so eager to attend!
Sadly, their attendance at this event will likely do very to harm their political fortunes, even if it only goes further to show the rest of Canada who, precisely, these Quebec separatists truly are -- self-interested demagogues, adhering to a racial ideology and sympathizing with yesteryear's terrorists.
I'm not sure that I'm sad that them attending will hurt their political careers. I'd actually be thrilled if it did.
ReplyDeleteBut as we all know, Quebec is a weird place where common sense gets tossed out the window and hard line separatists might actually be able to convince the not so separatist that this entire reading is a good thing.
Whatever happens, I'll be writing about it and I'm sure you will too!
Like I said, Canada can be a pretty peculiar place.
ReplyDeleteI once found a commenter on a blogpost about the Bloc Quebecois claiming that they weren't a separatist party.
Needless to say, I found myself scratching my head a little bit.