“People have been asking me to comment on last weekend’s events at #ptbo,” she tweeted from her account, @DianeNTherrien. “I hate giving airtime/spotlight to these idiots. Here’s my comment: F- — — off, you f — — -wads.” A group of about 30 people, led by Frank Curtin, gathered at the police station on Saturday after a public call by Romana Didulo, a conspiracy theorist who claims to be the Queen of Canada, to make citizen’s arrests of local police officers. The group is against the orders of COVID-19. Didulo claimed he had US military support, and Curtin told the crowd that once local officers were arrested, the military would arrive to get them. That didn’t happen. The station remained locked and the police did not deal with the people outside. After several hours, the protesters confronted police who arrived about 4 p.m., resulting in scuffles and the arrest of two men, including Curtin. A third man was later charged and police are investigating another incident involving a confrontation between a Didulo supporter and a counter-protester. The province’s Special Investigations Unit later launched an investigation into the incident, reporting that one of the men arrested was injured. Police are still looking for two suspects. One suspect is a female, white with short hair, about five foot three, about 65 years old and wearing a light blue plaid shirt and sunglasses. The other was a man of about 50 to 60 years old, about five foot seven with a white mustache and a goatee. He wore a black leather vest with chains hanging from the pocket, blue jeans and a black head scarf. Anyone with information about the two suspects can call the city’s police crime line at 705-876-1122 ext. 555 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or www.stopcrimehere.ca Therrien’s tweet was met with dozens of tweets of support for her position. “Not a fan of your political stance, but a HUGE fan of your stupid approach,” wrote one. “Sometimes you have to talk to them in a way they understand,” wrote another. “Thank you for putting up with this nonsense.” Some urged the one-term mayor to reconsider her decision not to seek re-election, noting that she still has until Friday to change her mind. Others encouraged her to run for higher office, with one noting the provincial Liberals and NDP both need new leaders. Others were not so supportive. “A great community leader can regulate their emotional responses in response to challenging situations,” one person tweeted. Therrien faced an ethics investigation last year when she used profanity on Twitter ahead of an anti-vaccine rally and a visit to the city by Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, and former independent MPP Randy Hillier. He was cleared of the investigation, as it was for a second complaint about changes he made to the portfolio positions of the advisers. Both ethics complaints were filed by former Mayor Paul Ayotte. Saturday’s rally, which Didulo promoted on social media, was intended to see a “citizen’s arrest” by local police for “COVID-19 crimes.” The group gathered in Confederation Square before heading to the police station, where they remained for several hours. Didulo arrived at Saturday’s event in the RV she uses to travel the country, accompanied by white-uniformed “security” personnel. He made a few brief appearances and met up with Curtin in the vehicle, but left the area after the arrests and later used a live video to blame Curtin, saying he was only there as an observer. SHARE:
