A handful of Grey County councillors excused themselves from the Council Chamber on Tuesday morning.
They left instead of sitting through a diatribe directed at them by a self-described civil rights activist.
Five of the 18 councillors left during the attack by Kimberley resident Peter Ferguson, who is upset by Council’s practice of opening meetings with the Lord’s Prayer.
On Tuesday, Ferguson sat in the gallery of the chamber and sarcastically clapped during the prayer.
He then made a deputation on the issue, beginning by calling the practice “a deplorable state of hate and criminality.”
Ferguson then offered councillors a number of insults — calling them “hateful,” “hate-mongers,” “brain-free” and “a bunch of criminals.”
He said that in opposing the prayer at council, he wants to save the councillors and keep them “from being evil.”
Ferguson said afterward that he wasn’t concerned about offending anyone, quoting the words of a Chinese activist – “This is your country. Do not be polite.”
Owen Sound City/County Councillor Arlene Wright says she left the chamber because she has absolutely no respect for Ferguson.
Council chose to take no action on Ferguson’s deputation.
