Quebec Liberal MNA Enrico Ciccone, centre, is congratulated by Quebec Liberal Opposition Leader Pierre Arcand, left, and applauded by Michel Bonsaint, secretary general of the legislature, after he was sworn in as member of the legislature on Oct. 15, 2018, in Quebec City.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
The Quebec Liberal Party says the riding office of one of its Montreal candidates has been robbed and vandalized.
The party says the alleged attackers broke through the wall of a neighbouring business to get into Enrico Ciccone’s office some time Tuesday night.
It says the perpetrators stole laptops, broke into locked filing cabinets, and caused significant material damage, adding that footage was taken from the office’s security cameras.
Ciccone, who has represented the western Montreal riding of Marquette since 2018, has reported receiving death threats over the phone in recent days, although it’s unclear if the incidents are related.
The former NHL hockey player said in a statement that he’s saddened by the attack and worried about his staff and the public.
Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade denounced the incident in a social media post, saying that violence, threats and intimidation should have no place in Quebec society.
Later, she told reporters that she hasn’t personally received threats but that another Liberal candidate, Marwah Rizqy, has.
“I can’t imagine the level of anxiety surrounding all that,” she told reporters, noting that Rizqy is pregnant.
She says the violence raises the question about whether there needs to be more security for campaigning politicians given the charged political climate.
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