Many people are viciously pointing an accusing anti-Semitic finger at Conservative St. Alberta MP Michael Cooper..But the evil does not lie within him..Have you people lost your minds? You are in positions of power — two of you who wrongly accused Cooper are city mayors — yet you stooped to a shockingly low level..Have you no shame? Integrity? Honesty? Decency?.Do you think Canadians are stupid enough to drink the poison Kool-aid you serve?.Are you so consumed with venom that you so easily try to destroy the character of an innocent man based on…nothing he that he did?.At issue is a photo of Cooper taken Saturday on Parliament Hill while he did an impromptu interview with CBC..He was there to support the Freedom Convoy, doing his job as an elected official should..Behind him — a few yards behind him where he couldn’t see — someone held a large upside-down Canadian flag with a swastika on it..No doubt, the CBC reporter and cameraman clearly saw it..But Cooper didn’t because he doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head..He learned about the ensuing uproar over his alleged ties to a disgusting, filthy derelict when the ‘scandal’ conveniently erupted on social media within minutes. The attack on Cooper was brutal..Anybody smell the stench of a setup?.I truly hope that isn’t so..One online writer delivered a rant, filled with contempt for those in the Freedom Convoy, and predicted that Cooper’s political career has probably gone “awry.” The headline said “We are judged by the company we keep…” The writer appointed himself judge and jury..Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron zealously pounced..“As Mayors of the two cities that straddle Member of Parliament Michael Cooper’s riding, Mayor @CathyHeron and I are troubled by a photo of MP Cooper that is being circulated with an upside-down Canadian flag with a hateful symbol of a swastika on it,” tweeted Sohi Saturday..“This type of symbolism is never okay, but it is even more troubling as we just marked the anniversary of the Holocaust, and today, we remember the victims who lost their lives in the hate-based Quebec City Mosque attack five years go.”.What’s bad for thee is OK for me?.Sohi, then a federal cabinet minister, was on the ill-fated 2018 trip to India with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau..That’s when the Indian government was enraged because Jaspal Atwal a member of the entourage, and a Sikh extremist convicted of attempting to murder an Indian politician, was invited to dine with Trudeau at the Canadian High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi..A photo surfaced of Sohi and Singh..Sohi said he had no idea he posed with a convict linked to a terrorist group..Now he goes after Cooper?.Heron tweeted the same thread and piled on more..“We want the rest of the country to know that MP Cooper’s presence at this rally in no way reflects the values of Edmontonians and St. Albertans,” she said. “Our communities are diverse, inclusive and welcoming — hate has absolutely no place here.”.Just to be clear, these two mayors are upset about his presence at the rally. And they say the rally that countless truckers and supporters from Edmonton and St. Albert are at, or cheering for from home, in no way reflects their values. .Remember that when the next election rolls around..If Sohi and Heron exercised such poor judgement in condemning Cooper for someone behind him whom he wasn’t even associated with, how are they to be trusted with running big city affairs?.Yet, they called upon Cooper to apologize for his “behaviour and lack of judgement.”.Cooper issued a statement. Here it is in full:.“Today I attended a peaceful protest in support of truckers and other Canadians defending their freedoms and jobs..“I did an impromptu interview with CBC. Moments later I learned from social media that unbeknown to me, someone with whom I’m not associated had been standing some distance behind my back holding a flag with an evil symbol on it. Had I seen the symbol, I would have condemned it as I do now. .“Naziism is the purest form of evil and I have always condemned it completely..“Whoever flew that flag is personally responsible for that reprehensible decision and should be eternally ashamed of him or herself..“He or she does not represent the thousands of peaceful protesters who waved Canadian flags and acted responsibly. I stand with them and will continue to fight for them.”.The interesting thing about Cooper is that he’s no stranger to fighting for people’s rights..There’s been no bigger bulldog in Parliament for a little country called Taiwan, likely about to be swallowed up by invading China..Cooper has long championed strengthening Canadian-Taiwan ties. He has called out the Liberal government for ignoring the peril the people of Taiwan face in losing their human rights. He has relentlessly appealed to his colleagues to do more to support them..Hardly the stuff racist haters are made of..Cooper has conducted himself with dignity and worked hard for his constituents since first elected in 2015. His record is impeccable..The ridiculous attempt to discredit him will likely backfire big time...Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
