Montreal Coun. Serge Sasseville says he took this photo as police interviewed the man who tried to stop the peaceful demonstration in front of the Russian Consulate. (Serge Sasseville/Twitter)
Sasseville has been demonstrating almost daily in front of the Russian Consulate since March. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
Sept 20 '22
''Serge Sasseville lives across the street from the Russian Consulate in Montreal and has been wheeling a stroller covered in red paint out his door nearly every day at noon since mid-March.
He then stands in front of the consulate, usually with fellow demonstrators at his side, and blasts the Ukrainian anthem with a wireless speaker while yelling support for a country that was invaded by Russia in February.
The anthem is preceded by the sounds of sirens and gunshots so the people inside the consulate can hear what it's like in Ukraine, Sasseville said.
And even though he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the anthem was still played Monday as his fellow demonstrators took over the daily ritual.
Everything was going as planned until Sasseville's phone rang.
It was Claude Fournier and Fournier's sister-in-law calling to say something had gone terribly wrong.''
"Mostly he was saying, 'get out of here or else I'll get you out of here!'" Fournier recounted. "At one point, I faced him, and he said, 'I am giving you five seconds to get out of here or else!'"
''Fournier is 91 years old and has a pacemaker.
He decided it wasn't safe to stand up to the man. He stepped into the street. His sister-in-law took out her phone and tried to film the altercation, but the man went after her, Fournier said''
''It's unacceptable. You have citizens who are committed to demonstrating their opposition to a genocidal war and you have employees from a consulate who are attacking them," he said.
"They are not only killing people in Ukraine. They are attacking Canadians."
Sasseville has been demonstrating almost daily in front of the Russian Consulate since March. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
Sept 20 '22
''Serge Sasseville lives across the street from the Russian Consulate in Montreal and has been wheeling a stroller covered in red paint out his door nearly every day at noon since mid-March.
He then stands in front of the consulate, usually with fellow demonstrators at his side, and blasts the Ukrainian anthem with a wireless speaker while yelling support for a country that was invaded by Russia in February.
The anthem is preceded by the sounds of sirens and gunshots so the people inside the consulate can hear what it's like in Ukraine, Sasseville said.
And even though he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the anthem was still played Monday as his fellow demonstrators took over the daily ritual.
Everything was going as planned until Sasseville's phone rang.
It was Claude Fournier and Fournier's sister-in-law calling to say something had gone terribly wrong.''
"Mostly he was saying, 'get out of here or else I'll get you out of here!'" Fournier recounted. "At one point, I faced him, and he said, 'I am giving you five seconds to get out of here or else!'"
''Fournier is 91 years old and has a pacemaker.
He decided it wasn't safe to stand up to the man. He stepped into the street. His sister-in-law took out her phone and tried to film the altercation, but the man went after her, Fournier said''
''It's unacceptable. You have citizens who are committed to demonstrating their opposition to a genocidal war and you have employees from a consulate who are attacking them," he said.
"They are not only killing people in Ukraine. They are attacking Canadians."
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