Environmental activist David Suzuki issued a public apology for comments he made last Saturday referencing “blown up” pipelines if the government doesn’t take drastic action on climate change..The radical activist made the comments at an Extinction Rebellion protest in downtown Victoria last weekend when asked by CHEK News what he thought would happen if government leaders didn’t address the climate crisis..“We’re in deep, deep doo doo. And the leading experts have been telling us for over 40 years. This is what we’ve come to. The next stage after this, there are going to be pipelines blown up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s going on.”.A released statement, also available on his website, said, “Dr. Suzuki’s comments were born out of many years of watching government inaction while the climate crisis continues to get worse.”.The statement included this apology from Suzuki:.“The remarks I made were poorly chosen and I should not have said them. Any suggestion that violence is inevitable is wrong and will not lead us to a desperately-needed solution to the climate crisis. My words were spoken out of extreme frustration and I apologize..“We must find a way to stop the environmental damage we are doing to the planet and we must do so in a non-violent manner.”.The statement goes on to cite the work of the David Suzuki Foundation..“Since 1990, the Foundation has produced credible and reliable evidence-based environmental information, and worked with all levels of government (including indigenous leadership), business and communities to resolve critical environmental issues.”.Suzuki was heavily criticized Monday for his comments by Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon..“David Suzuki is so out of touch with the real world that he advocates for eco-terrorism…towards Canadian people and industries — this is completely unacceptable and extremely reckless,” said Nixon during Ministerial Statements in the Legislature..“The NDP have a long history of collaborating with David Suzuki and their silence on his outrageous comments make them complicit with calls for ecoterrorism towards Albertans..“We must protect our critical infrastructure and not allow these ridiculous ideological menaces to destroy what Albertans have worked so hard to create.”.Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Suzuki’s comment was “an implicit or winking incitement to violence,” and likened it to something you’d hear in “gangster movies.”.Contrary to accusations of inciting violence by critics, Suzuki’s statement read, “Always grounded in sound evidence, the Foundation empowers people to take peaceful and impactful action in their communities on the environmental challenges we collectively face.” .Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
Environmental activist David Suzuki issued a public apology for comments he made last Saturday referencing “blown up” pipelines if the government doesn’t take drastic action on climate change..The radical activist made the comments at an Extinction Rebellion protest in downtown Victoria last weekend when asked by CHEK News what he thought would happen if government leaders didn’t address the climate crisis..“We’re in deep, deep doo doo. And the leading experts have been telling us for over 40 years. This is what we’ve come to. The next stage after this, there are going to be pipelines blown up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s going on.”.A released statement, also available on his website, said, “Dr. Suzuki’s comments were born out of many years of watching government inaction while the climate crisis continues to get worse.”.The statement included this apology from Suzuki:.“The remarks I made were poorly chosen and I should not have said them. Any suggestion that violence is inevitable is wrong and will not lead us to a desperately-needed solution to the climate crisis. My words were spoken out of extreme frustration and I apologize..“We must find a way to stop the environmental damage we are doing to the planet and we must do so in a non-violent manner.”.The statement goes on to cite the work of the David Suzuki Foundation..“Since 1990, the Foundation has produced credible and reliable evidence-based environmental information, and worked with all levels of government (including indigenous leadership), business and communities to resolve critical environmental issues.”.Suzuki was heavily criticized Monday for his comments by Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon..“David Suzuki is so out of touch with the real world that he advocates for eco-terrorism…towards Canadian people and industries — this is completely unacceptable and extremely reckless,” said Nixon during Ministerial Statements in the Legislature..“The NDP have a long history of collaborating with David Suzuki and their silence on his outrageous comments make them complicit with calls for ecoterrorism towards Albertans..“We must protect our critical infrastructure and not allow these ridiculous ideological menaces to destroy what Albertans have worked so hard to create.”.Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Suzuki’s comment was “an implicit or winking incitement to violence,” and likened it to something you’d hear in “gangster movies.”.Contrary to accusations of inciting violence by critics, Suzuki’s statement read, “Always grounded in sound evidence, the Foundation empowers people to take peaceful and impactful action in their communities on the environmental challenges we collectively face.” .Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
