Noose left by COVID-19 protesters outside her home outrages Alberta MLA
CBC
A northern Alberta MLA says she became a target for hatred when a group of COVID-19 protesters gathered outside her private residence, hanging a noose marked with a violent threat.
Tracy Allard says a protest began Sunday afternoon outside her home in Grande Prairie and soon grew to about 30 people. She said RCMP were called and the crowd dispersed about 90 minutes after police arrived.
Left behind was a noose attached to a small wooden gallows painted with the words "no to masks, end the gov't, hang 'em all," Allard said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday.
An image posted by Allard shows the wooden structure laying on her lawn.
Finding the noose was "chilling," said Allard, who has has served as a UCP MLA in the Grande Prairie riding since 2019.
"This is a shocking act of aggression, a clear threat, and a sad punctuation mark on the polarization and anger in our society," Allard wrote in the statement.
"Beyond my outrage and my shock, I feel a deep sadness. I feel heartbreak … because what I see behind this act is a growing fear that is gripping our community."
Allard described the demonstration outside her private residence as inexcusable intimidation and said her private life and her family are out of bounds to protesters.
Grande Prairie RCMP said they were called to the scene around 2:45 p.m. Sunday.
Officers responded and found a "large group" of protestors gathered in a residential area, Const. Lindsay Ralph told CBC News.
Ralph said officers noticed protestors had attached a noose to a fence near the property and asked that it be taken down. The noose was removed, as requested, Ralph said.
The demonstrators were protesting peacefully, being respectful and "not causing any issues" with traffic, Ralph said.
No arrests were made and no additional complaints were filed regarding the demonstration, Ralph said. Police were not aware the noose had been left behind, she said.
The protest crossed a line, Allard said. She said those who gathered Sunday disrespected her home, her private life and her neighbours.