JONQUIÈRE | The second individual who hugged a TVA journalist against his will during an anti-mask demonstration in Quebec said to himself “sorry that she received this proof of love there as an assault”.
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Sunday, Jean-Guillaume Tremblay and Jean-François Mongrain approached journalist Kariane Bourassa to give him a hug against his will.
Met at his place of work, in the Jonquière sector, in Saguenay, yesterday, Mr. Tremblay did not want to be like the other man and apologize.
“These are my lawyers who will clarify this. Because, to consent to that, it will be done in a very enlightened manner and I consider myself not yet enlightened enough ”, he indicated, he who was not then aware that a complaint had been formally filed against him to the Quebec police.
Asked about the reasons that led him to make this gesture during the demonstration, Mr. Tremblay was stingy with details. He maintained, however, that it was a gesture of “love” and not of aggression.
“I really wish I could enlighten you, but right now, it just turns out to be something really ambiguous, reporting the truth,” he just said.
He has some against the media
The man is visibly against the majority of the media which – during the coverage of the demonstration – failed, according to him, “to specify that it was against the wearing of the compulsory mask”.
“The people who organized the rally, they really wanted to have good visibility. And the reason why there was no press briefing, officially, is that trust is damaged (sic) with journalists, ”he explains.
Mr. Tremblay, who is a veteran, says he wants to make a press release soon and intends to defend himself. “We wear the uniform, we represent Canadians. There are some who make mistakes, but in this case, I don’t want to leave room for any mistakes. It’s important to me, ”he argues.
He was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces from 2001 to 2006 and was notably deployed in Bosnia.
“Inexcusable” gestures
Sylvain Chartrand, director of the Veterans Affairs Advocacy Group, maintains that these gestures “are inexcusable”.
“But what is even more disturbing is that the Canadian Armed Forces are making efforts to address issues of sexual misconduct and assault. These are unacceptable actions, ”argues Mr. Chartrand.
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