‘It goes way overboard’: Ford calls OPP on protesters who brought guillotine to Queen’s Park

The OPP has been informed about a group of protesters who brought a fake guillotine to Queen’s Park on Wednesday, the premier’s office has announced.

“Yesterday went a little too far,” Premier Doug Ford said in the Legislature Thursday.

“As a matter of fact, it goes way overboard.”

A few hundred people showed up to the protest outside Queen’s Park in what was called a “General Strike Against Doug Ford” on a Facebook event page.

Several masked attendees carried the wooden guillotine dotted with red paint onto the lawn and held signs that said “No cuts but this cut,” and “May history repeat itself, Chop, Chop!”

‘This is disgusting’

Lisa MacLeod, the province’s minister of children, community and social services, called the guillotine a “credible threat” and told reporters the party has referred the incident to the provincial police.

“Masked protesters brought a bloodied guillotine to the grounds of Queen’s Park and you know what they did? They beheaded an effigy of the premier. This is disgusting,” MacLeod said.

A spokesperson for the premier’s office confirmed that the OPP were informed.

MacLeod called on the NDP to condemn the incident and apologize for having two of their own members at the protest on Wednesday.

“It’s important to know this is the real NDP … They care more about activism and protesting than respectful dialogue,” she said.

MacLeod also spoke of recently requiring an OPP security detail because of “credible threats” against her after fallout from changes to the province’s autism program.

“The level of debate has been debased,” she said.

NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh said her party doesn’t support “that kind of behaviour” and called the guillotine “inappropriate,” but her party does support “Ontarians’ rights to come out here and voice their concerns,” she added.

“Some of the decisions the government is making are having real impacts on the people of this province,” Singh said.

“Oftentimes people can get heated … But at the same time there’s real concerns with what the government is doing.”

Singh also said the two NDP members were not at the protest in any “official capacity.”