Fire and Ice April 28 - The Mobbing
By Kelly Allard
I’ve been working on posts about this Fire and Ice event but The Mobbing of Tom (Fougere) and myself has been on my mind all week.
I need to address this before writing about
Fire and Ice,
the Canadians For Truth (CFT) or
the participants (Joseph Bourgault, Jamie Sale, Theo Fleury, Tamara Lich)
It was very disturbing to see how quickly a group of people could turn into a mob. I never expected such behaviour from the residents of Medicine Hat.
The organizers did not help the matter by unilaterally changing the ticket terms at the last minute. They created a situation which then had to be dealt with. Instead of letting their security guy handle it, the organizers made things worse by getting off the stage and involving themselves.
It was only after Tom and I left that I realized how much danger we were in; it could have turned ugly very quickly.
What the Event Was
The event was organized by Joseph Bourgault (co-founder of CFT); Theo Fleury and Jamie Salé would be interviewing Tamara Lich.
Tom and I were interested in what they had to say. The convoy and other groups had complained that Mainstream Media (MSM) did not cover the whole story. We believed them; we wanted to see for ourselves firsthand.
Tickets were $50 each; they included the right to take photos and to videotape.
The organizers unilaterally changed the terms of the contract after we were already there. They told people we could take all the flash photography we wanted but no videotaping would be allowed. They did not offer to refund anyone who was unhappy with that.
(I don’t take kindly to Bait and Switch techniques.)
The Beginning
Tom and I were sitting quietly in the front row. Tom was livestreaming (not video recording), I was taking photos and audio recording (again NOT video recording).
Joseph Bourgault (JB) got on stage and said a prayer.
Joseph Bourgault, Heather at the Medicine Hat Stampede Grandstand Banquet Room
April 28 2023, Fire and Ice Event photo credit Kelly Allard
Phrases used:
“One Nation Under God” (That’s a part of the US’s Pledge of Allegiance)
“With love and respectful ways”
Some audience members took it upon themselves to tell us to stop recording and to report us to organizers. JB noticed. He called security (Eric), pointing at us. Eric squatted down and spoke with me. I showed him what the ticket site said, he seemed unsure as to what to do after that.
The Escalation
JB did not even give security guy Eric a chance to sort it out. Less than a minute after calling Eric, JB got down from the stage and stood over Tom; former NHL hockey player Theo Fleury was right there at his side.
(Way to undermine your security guy.)
Theo Fleury, Joseph Bourgault Fire and Ice April 28 2023 Screenshot Courtesy of Thomas Fougere
The Chanting Mob
JB continued to berate us while we sat in our chairs; Theo Fleury joined in. The audience started cheering and clapping.
Tom and I told them what the ticket terms said, JB said “We’re going to refund your money”. At this point the crowd is now chanting “Out out out out out out out out!”
A large man comes over and talks to JB, this man was later identified as Tom Coffey (TC) - (former?) Medicine Hat Firefighter. TC tries to block Tom’s camera, then he puts his hand two inches away from Tom’s body.
(That reminded me of what my children would do to each other - “I’m not touching you”.)
In the following pics I am sitting to Tom’s left, they had us squished in there. Screenshots Courtesy of Thomas Fougere.
Tom told them we were not going anywhere, that if they wanted us out they should call the police.
(There was no way in hell that I was going to get up and go, I was NOT going to turn my back on an angry and agitated mob.)
TC and other members of the audience took it upon themselves to voice their displeasure, one of them inviting Tom to meet /go “out back”; the organizers did nothing to try to quell the mob. TC got very close to us , he and JB actually put hands on Tom who was sitting immediately to my right. I had to tell TC to back off several times, he finally did. Theo Fleury talked to us about “breaking the rules”.
Some audience members wanted us to go sit in the back.
(There was no way in hell I was going to go to the back. I know what happens in the back, it often causes people to lose their sense of sight.)
Why Didn’t We Just Leave When We Were Asked To?
1 It was a public event to “inform and entertain”.
We were there to get informed, we wanted to hear what the MSM had got wrong or left out of their story.
2 A contract is a contract is a contract.
When one party makes an offer and the other accepts it, that creates a binding contract. When you buy a ticket to an event they are required to fulfill what they agreed to or give you an option to negate the contract before it starts. We were not offered a refund until after we were mobbed.
By then we were
- surrounded by large angry men (at least 6-7 at one point)
- being berated by people behind us
- being shouted at by the mob, some of whom were chanting “out out out out out out out”.
3 Again, I was NOT going to turn my back to the chanting mob; they were agitated and angry.
A few people had called the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) on us to have us removed; the safest thing for us to do was to wait for them to show up. We stayed there another 90 minutes or so, the MHPS never showed.
4 The convoy did not leave Ottawa when they were asked to; they did not stop honking horns when they were asked to.
Tom and I were sitting quietly in our seats and doing what the ticket contract had allowed.
This is a classic case of “Do What I Say, Not What I Do” by people who preach peace, love and acceptance (as long as you accept their view without question).
There is no doubt in my mind that if I hadn’t been there with Tom that he’d have had an “accident” before he left.
There is no doubt in my mind that had we left when the mob was chanting that both of us would’ve had “accidents” before we left.
Tom and I stayed for the entire event but left before they did the raffle draws. We were not going to give the mob the chance to follow us to our vehicles. I kept my voice recording going until I was safe in my car just in case. It was not until I was safe in my car that I realized just how much danger we’d been in.
Mobs are unpredictable and dangerous, Tom and I were alone. Any allies we may have had in the crowd would’ve been wise to keep silent if the mob became violent.
There may be good reasons to mob somebody, such as, protecting people that are in immediate danger from a threat. Mobbing people just because you think they might disagree with you is childish.
I don’t know where people get off thinking this sort of behaviour is acceptable. In Canada we listen to each other, we use dialogue to influence people’s decisions, not intimidation, threats and invitations to meet “out back”. It’s the side that is most persuasive that wins, not the one who is the most intimidating or the best with their fists. I expected better from the people of Medicine Hat.
Tamara Lich said it well that evening -
“If we cannot sit in a room with people we disagree with, how can we ever solve our problems?”
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