Online attacks on health leader unveil ugliness
This past weekend something ugly happened next door to Hamilton in Niagara Region.
The undercurrent of anger that boiled over in social media posts online has been building for some time. It comes from people upset because that region was left behind in COVID-19 grey zone lockdown while most of the rest of Ontario, including Hamilton, begins to reopen.
Social media posts — some of them vicious, others simply foolish or uninformed — smeared and threatened one public official, rightly outraged many good people, and inflicted a black eye on our Niagara neighbours.
It will be up to police to decide at what point angry online venting crosses the line into criminal behaviour.
But this is clear: The attacks and accusations directed at Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting medical officer of health for Niagara Region, should make all of us step back and ask: is this really who we want to be?
Hirji, like many other medical officers of health across Ontario, rightly urged caution in reopening the economy.
He and the others worry that doing so too soon will not only spur spread of the coronavirus, but could also derail the progress that has been made controlling it and lead to more forced lockdowns and restrictions on businesses.
The campaign against Hirji started before Friday but it blew up that night after the provincial announcement. Some insinuated he hoped to benefit from the circumstances or was abusing his authority.
“He is able to override the province. Do I think that is right? No!” wrote Welland regional Coun. Leanne Villella, who should know Hirji does not have that power.
It didn’t help that Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, the region’s only provincial government member, tweeted: “Disappointed to see Niagara the only public health unit outside of GTA to remain in grey.
“I understand this decision is based on advice of our local medical officer of health, Dr. Hirji. Hope to see us move to red soon, based on positive trends.”
It was mighty big of him to use Hirji as a human shield against an unpopular decision.
Not only that, he managed to throw some of the blame Hirji’s way, as if it was him — and not Oosterhoff’s own party and government — that chose to keep Niagara in grey status.
One person, a local entrepreneur, took to social media to urge “Fire Hirji!” with a mocking photo of the doctor. One responder wrote, “The bastard has to go now. By any means necessary”; another added: “Let’s put his head on a stick.”
Still another suggested she knows where Hirji lives and that someone should egg his house.
There were calls to organize a protest demanding Hirji be fired, or for a citizen’s arrest.
A month ago there were 1,000 active cases in Niagara region. The lockdown and all the staying at home citizens have done since Christmas are finally starting to pay off. The numbers have dropped but Niagara’s infection rate remains high.
Business owners have been badly hurt by all this and are understandably frustrated and afraid for their futures. But Hirji is doing what his job requires — acting to protect the health of Niagara residents.
The real pandemic decision makers are at Queen’s Park. They get input from the various regions, but the premier and his advisers make the call. That is where protests like this belong, not at the house of the local medical officer of health. The ugly words, threats, accusations and insinuations made over the weekend are despicable and should be denounced.