The Caquiste deputy for Chauveau, Sylvain Lévesque, whose election poster covered in blood was published online Thursday, said he had no choice but to file a complaint with the police. He claims to have done so for his safety, that of his relatives, but also to “help” the author of these threatening images.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“I am a criminologist by training, so the signs of violence, I know them well. And I know it’s a spiral that can start out mundane, but can quickly accelerate. It’s a warning sign that I couldn’t accept,” explained Mr. Lévesque in an interview with The Press.
Earlier Thursday, on Twitter, he announced that he had filed a complaint at the police station. “This kind of publication is unacceptable. We can be against ideas, but violence and intimidation will never be tolerated. Despite this, nothing will prevent me from going to meet the citizens of Chauveau, ”he wrote.
SCREENSHOT FROM TWITTER
An election poster of CAQ MP Sylvain Lévesque covered in blood was published online Thursday by a surfer.
The elected official swears that he does not want the individual who threatened him, who calls himself Klodo Paquette, to be “criminalized”, but rather “to be sent the message that it is not acceptable, and send him help”. The author of this image has also reproduced election posters full of blood from several other elected officials and CAQ candidates, including the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge.
At least three other CAQ candidates, Youri Chassin, Mario Asselin and Isabelle Lecours, were targeted by the Internet user, who says he lives in the Lanaudière region. All footage was released on August 31. The user created his account in April, but has multiplied publications for a few weeks. It has aired 500 since mid-July.
The day when I will be afraid for my life, I will stop doing politics.
Sylvain Lévesque, outgoing CAQ MP from Chauveau
“I did not come into politics to bring myself down,” continued Mr. Lévesque.
Before the start of the election campaign, Mr. Lévesque had been the target of death threats twice during the pandemic. He had also filed complaints with the police there, he revealed at a press conference on Thursday.
All of its employees working remotely
Because he doesn’t “want to take the chance of someone physically attacking one of [s]Colleagues,” Mr. Lévesque claims to have asked all of his constituency office employees to telecommute until the end of the election campaign, at a minimum.
“I won’t take any risks. Blood is for me a direct incitement to hatred, “he said in an interview, calling in turn on elected officials to” do everything to maintain a healthy climate “.
Behind his alias, Klodo Paquette is probably “someone unhappy, sad”, regrets the candidate for his re-election. “I sincerely hope he will be okay. In the meantime, the climate, we must change it. In politics, we are adversaries, but we are not at war. We all have a common goal: to represent Quebecers, period,” concludes Mr. Lévesque.
The day before, Wednesday, Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy had revealed that she had received death threats in the past few days. Enrico Ciccone, another Liberal, also saw his constituency office robbed and vandalized overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Prime Minister François Legault appealed for calm on Thursday, imploring citizens not to “stir up anger”.