Swim a victim of ‘mob rule’: Nenshi
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he’s disappointed city administration opted to cancel a nude swimming event at a city-operated recreation centre in the wake of “crackpot threats.”
Nenshi said the threats included a bomb threat, a claim the windows of vehicles in the facility’s parking lot would be smashed with baseball bats, and a warning that licence plate information would be gathered and posted.
Friday marked the first time Nenshi waded into the debate about the controversial naked, all-ages event planned for the Southland Leisure Centre, during an hourlong appearance on a CBC radio call-in show.
“Let’s be clear. The online petitions — because there was two of them, one on each side — had nothing to do with this,” Nenshi said.
“This is really about mob rule ... Some of the folks, both online and in phone calls to city staff and to public servants, were threatening some really unpleasant stuff. There was a bomb threat. There were people who were saying, ‘we’re going to write down all the licence plate numbers and post them as pedophiles.’”
Nenshi said repeatedly on the air he doesn’t agree with Thursday’s decision by recreation officials to cancel Sunday’s naked waterslide evening event.
“I’m really, really disappointed in the city administration’s decision on this one, for exactly that reason,” the mayor said in response to a caller who phoned in and told Nenshi, “it just seems like you’re allowing fear and threats of violence to control our lives.”
James McLaughlin, the city’s acting director of recreation services, said on Thursday a flood of “volatile public commentary” prompted the Calgary Police Service and the city’s corporate se- curity team to complete a safety review of the event.
“The outcome of that review has suggested that it’s not prudent for us to proceed at this point in time, out of concern related to the safety of all users,” McLaughlin said.
Nenshi said bureaucrats’ concerns revolved around the fact city staff didn’t “have enough time to put in a security plan, given the real crackpot threats, in time for Sunday.
“There just wasn’t enough time to get in a sophisticated security response.
“It has nothing to do with nudity. It has nothing to do with petitions. It has everything to do with ensuring everyone is safe.”
Meanwhile, Calgary Nude Recreation, the group behind the cancelled event, posted an online fundraiser Friday attempting to raise $10,000 for a legal fund “to ensure Calgarians have places to participate in nude activities.”