Kevin Vickers, the Canadian ambassador to Ireland, made international headlines Thursday for jumping out of his chair to physically remove a noisy protester during a ceremony in Dublin to recognize the British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising 100 years ago.
The former sergeant-at-arms in the House of Commons first made headlines as being the one who took down the gunman who had stormed the Parliament buildings in 2014. When the single, shouting protester strode towards the outdoor ceremony, it was Vickers who grabbed the man by the arms to lead him away, before security finally arrived to take over from the am-badass-ador, as he was quickly labelled on Twitter.
More tweets compared Vickers to Jason Bourne and Liam Neeson and some wondered how Vickers would have handled elbowgate. The best one from @chadrogers: "There used to be a street named after Kevin Vickers. It got changed because no one crosses Kevin Vickers and lives."
Not everyone agreed, of course. Many thought Vickers was completely out of line, accusing him of assaulting a man exercising his rights to free speech and assembly.
Valid point.
Nothing raises the blood pressure like protest, both among protesters and the people being protested. Regardless of whether the protest is loud and direct or silent and symbolic, emotions run high. In the photos, Vickers is red-faced and furious. Brian Murphy, the hapless protester, should be thankful security stepped in.
Going back to elbowgate for a moment, that incident started as a passive, silent protest, with a handful of NDP MPs blocking the way of Conservative whip Gord Brown to return to his seat so deliberation on the proposed assisted dying legislation could continue. The protest brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau out of his seat in a huff and an uproar was born.
In other words, it was the silence, not the voices of the NDP, that upset Trudeau. Their endless speeches, criticism and heckling in the House did nothing to raise his ire, but simply standing in place did.
Looking at the history of protest, there is much to be said for silence. Rosa Parks said nothing when she took her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Tommie Smith and John Carlos said nothing from the medal podium when they raised their black fists at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Elijah Harper's eagle feather, not his words, are remembered for his protest of the Meech Lake Accord.
Sometimes words are needed but they don't need to be rude shouts at solemn ceremonies. Nineteen UNBC faculty members joined a group of more than 200 Canadian academics this week to protest the construction of the Site C dam. The scholars sent a letter to Trudeau, Premier Christy Clark and various other political leaders, asking for work to be suspended until their legal and environmental concerns are addressed. Those 19 professors don't represent the entire faculty nor do they pretend to do so. Their names and their words carry significant clout nonetheless.
Hopefully, there will be no rude shouts today, from students, faculty or otherwise, when James Moore is sworn in as the new chancellor of UNBC. Convocation is a place to celebrate student and faculty achievement. Hijacking that event would be disrespectful to those achievements and the men and women who accomplished them.
Silent, individual protest, however, is on the table. Some professors and students may refuse to attend. Others may decide to march outside the Northern Sport Centre. Inside, they would be well within their rights to stand and turn their backs to the stage during the swearing-in of Moore, a form of protest other graduates and academics at other universities have used to show their disapproval for a new chancellor, a new president or the controversial recipient of an honorary degree.
Whoever protests and whatever forms that protest takes, they should be treated with respect, so long as it is done respectfully in turn. Universities thrive through the tolerance of dissenting views and peaceful protest. Convocation is no different.
Booing, whistling or catcalling during Moore's swearing-in or when he is speaking would be shameful and deserving of a Vickers-like escort to the nearest exit.
The silent treatment and the sight of backs turned away in defiance, however, would speak volumes without saying a word.
- Managing editor Neil Godbout
