In response to the numerous acts of vandalism committed on electoral signs, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) has sent in recent days to all its constituency organizers stickers that read “let’s not give in to intimidation”.
Posted at 3:40 p.m.
These displays, written in red on a white background, will be affixed gradually over the next few days on as many electoral signs as possible across Quebec, confirmed a CAQ source. The initial idea would have come from a campaign organizer within the party’s “war room”, located in Quebec, in reaction to the many signs that have been vandalized since the start of the election campaign.
“We’ve never done this before. It’s really a special way that we take because we get broken so many signs. It will be put when we install new ones, or when we replace them, ”explained Tuesday the press secretary to the office of the outgoing Prime Minister, Nadia Talbot.
On each sticker, the name of the CAQ’s official agent, Roxanne Rinfret, appears in small print. This means very concretely that it is an election expense authorized by the party.
On Tuesday, CAQ MP for Chauveau Sylvain Lévesque, whose blood-covered election poster was posted online in early September, revealed on Twitter that “last night, in several neighborhoods in the riding […]there was mass vandalism” on several of its signs.
“To the people or the person who did this, I ask you the question: who did you really harm yesterday by doing this illegal act? “, at the same time questioned the elected official, showing the sticker in question in front of one of his vandalized signs. He also invites, at the end of his video, all of his fellow citizens “to express themselves and go and vote” on October 3.
Tense climate
In the last few days, several CAQ candidates had also denounced that their signs had been victims of vandalism. This is the case of the caquiste Caroline St-Hilaire, who had notably declared online: “To vandalize an electoral sign is to vandalize the democratic spirit”.
Several other displays – all parties combined – have already been modified, vandalized or downright torn since the start of the election campaign across Quebec. This is without counting the death threats received by the liberal Marwah Rizqy, or even the constituency office of her colleague Enrico Ciccone which was vandalized and then robbed.
The Press also reported at the start of the campaign that security around party leaders is much more visible than in previous elections, a sign that the authorities are well aware of the risk of overflow. Bulletproof vests were even distributed.
Last Thursday, the residence of the chief government whip and candidate in Arthabaska, Éric Lefebvre, had even been targeted by a procession of about thirty vehicles, an event which is the subject of an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec.