“Hateful and degrading” remarks by Gilles Proulx | Québec solidaire will boycott Qub Radio

(Quebec) The elected representatives of Quebec solidaire will boycott Quebecor’s web radio, Qub Radio, to denounce the “hateful and degrading” remarks of columnist Gilles Proulx, who affirmed that “we should finish them off once and for all, these thick “. They demand an apology and a public retraction. These remarks were condemned by elected caquistes and liberals.

“I ask Gilles Proulx, Richard Martineau and Qub radio for a complete retraction and a public apology. As long as these apologies have not been made, no member of Québec solidaire will participate in Qub radio broadcasts. We are also examining the legal remedies available to us, ”denounced the parliamentary leader of the party, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, in a press release on Thursday.

“We are human beings, we have families. There are limits,” he added.

The party criticizes Gilles Proulx for remarks made on March 10 on the Richard Martineau show. “The deputies of Québec solidaire are described there as “bastards” and of “junk” by the columnist, in addition to being called “gangrene“, of “liars” and to be accused of engaging in “bullshit” »lamented Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.

And in another column now withdrawn from the web, still with Richard Martineau, the MP points out that “Mr. Proulx goes even further. “After talking at length about me, he exclaims: “we should finish them once and for all, these thick ones.” », he added.

Quebecor did not respond to La Presse’s request for an interview, but host and columnist Richard Martineau defended his columnist on social media by calling on Québec solidaire to “stop PLAYING THE VICTIM!” [sic] “. He believes that Québec solidaire has made “certain remarks out of the ordinary” and quoted Mr. Proulx “wrongly and through”.

The columnist also defended himself in a message. “I wasn’t talking about him or his party when I said ‘The English are right, we should finish them off once and for all, those thick guys.’ I was ironic about us, the Quebecers”. As for the qualifiers of “bastards”, “filthiness” and “gangrene”, Mr. Proulx considers that they are justifiable in “a free and democratic society”.

But this is not the first time that Mr. Proulx has used abusive language against elected officials. In September 2022, he called Liberal MPs “bastard stinking demagogues”. “Down, down. The Liberal Party is a party of cellars or thieves, ”he had launched, still on the airwaves of Qub, recalled host Olivier Niquet on social media.

Hostile climate

Mr. Nadeau Dubois believes for his part that “it is normal and healthy for columnists to severely criticize elected officials and their ideas”, but that “here, we are dealing with violent, hateful and degrading remarks towards elected officials in the National Assembly of Quebec, on the airwaves of a major media. He also attacked Mr. Martineau, who “never intervened” to correct these remarks.

“We cannot tolerate that and Qub radio should not have tolerated that,” he denounced. Mr. Nadeau-Dubois makes a link between these remarks and the “hostile and even sometimes violent climate on social networks”. “During the last election campaign, threats against elected officials or candidates exploded. A record number of arrests have been made by police forces,” he wrote.

“In this context, we all have a responsibility. The vast majority of columnists do their job with respect, but if hateful, violent and degrading remarks are tolerated on its airwaves, Qub radio is responsible. Gilles Proulx’s comments are not only dangerous for the social climate, they also endanger the safety of the elected officials of Québec solidaire, ”he denounced.

On social media, the exit of Québec solidaire received the support of elected officials from other political parties.

Liberal Marwah Rizqy said she met Mr. Nadeau-Dubois during the day and that she “seldom saw him so shaken, and for good reason”. “He made me listen to the extract where we hear a columnist say “we should finish them off once and for all, these thick guys”. This incitement to violence is totally unacceptable,” she said.