Gatineau councillor defends flat Earth
A Quebec municipal councillor who was already under fire for denying the existence of Islamophobia is drawing new scrutiny for recent comments questioning whether the Earth is round.
Nathalie Lemieux of Gatineau, Que., created controversy last week after she told a reporter the word “Islamophobia’’ doesn’t exist for her. She was stripped of her title as deputy mayor but remains a councillor in Quebec’s fourth largest city.
In an interview Tuesday, Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin acknowledged Lemieux’s comments about Islamophobia could be harmful.
“Yes, it could affect the (city’s) reputation, but it’s only one person,” he said by phone, calling Gatineau “a model of integration.” He said the city’s swift action to dissociate itself from Lemieux’s comments would limit the damage. “I don’t think it will hurt much,” he said.
The mayor declined comment on another eye-opening remark from Lemieux, reported this week by Le Droit newspaper. In an online comment two weeks ago, Lemieux suggested there is a conspiracy to eliminate evidence that the Earth is flat.
“Who decided that the Earth is round, and why should we believe it?” she asked.
“The first question to ask” she wrote, “is now that people realize that it’s possible that the Earth is flat, why do they want to hide the explanations that prove it.” She also wondered how much money is diverted to NASA and said she does not believe anything on the news, preferring to conduct her own research.
“The world is a stage and several actors are amusing themselves at our expense thinking they are more