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Suzuki apologizes for ‘exploding pipes’ comments during climate protest

EDMONTON –

Environmentalist and TV presenter David Suzuki apologized on Thursday for comments he made about exploding pipelines.

On Saturday, while taking part in a protest in Victoria, Suzuki told CHEK News, “There will be pipes blowing up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s happening.”

Following criticism, including from the premier of Alberta, Suzuki tried to clarify that his statements were not a sign of support for violence or destruction but simply a prediction.

On Thursday morning, his foundation released a statement publicly apologizing.

“The comments I made were poorly chosen and I should not have said them. Any suggestion that violence is inevitable is wrong and will not lead us to a much-needed solution to the climate crisis. My words were spoken out of extreme disappointment and I apologize,” the statement read.

It added that Suzuki’s words were “born of years of witnessing government inaction while the climate crisis continued to worsen.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney asked for the application to be withdrawn and apologized on Tuesday, and he said most other public figures would be “removed” for saying such things.

“It was purely an incitement, or wink, to violence,” Kenney alleged in a press conference.

“It’s like in the gangster movies, where they say you know, ‘That great little pipe you’ve got there, it’s going to be a terrible thing if something happens to it.”

The NDP of Alberta also condemned Suzuki’s comments, but Extinction Rebellion, one of the groups at the Victoria rally, defended him.

Zain Haq told Extinction Rebellion Canada: “We don’t believe he is inciting violence.

“It’s clear that people are becoming more desperate and have a clear escalation plan, even though they’re not violent.”

CTV News Edmonton requested an interview with Suzuki through his foundation, but he was not present.

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