Ambassador Kevin Vickers's tussle with protester in Dublin garners mixed reaction
CBC News | Posted: May 26, 2016 5:39 PM | Last Updated: May 27, 2016
Event attended by Vickers commemorated the 100 British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising
It's the other Canadian "manhandling" that's getting international attention.
On Thursday, Kevin Vickers, Canada's ambassador to Ireland, wrestled with a protester at an invitation-only ceremony in Dublin. Vickers became a household name after his confrontation in 2014 with a gunman in a hallway on Parliament Hill
The news didn't take long to cross the pond.
It was immediately applauded by some Conservatives, who praised Vickers's toughness. It was, after all, their party that appointed Vickers to his posting in Ireland last year.
It was a sentiment shared by other Canadians.
It wasn't just Canadians intrigued by the New Brunswick-born ambassador's fists. The U.K.'s Daily Mail called Vickers "the world's toughest diplomat."
Others, however, were critical of Vicker tackling a lone protester. The former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms was at an event commemorating the 100 British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising in 1916, when Irish republicans tried to overthrow control of the country.
The Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association posted a video on its Facebook page applauding the protester, and levelled criticism against the Canadian ambassador.
"Well done to Dublin IRPWA member Brian Murphy who earlier today protested at a British Army Memorial Event in Dublin," reads the post.
"Despite being assaulted by the Canadian ambassador Brian raised the issue of Justice For The Craigavon 2 Campaign."