Protesters announce ‘day of rage’ in wake of brutal squirrel slaying in NDG
Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood saw its first stand-your-ground killing, a controversial element of self-defence law, earlier this month.
The incident was under reported in mainstream media because of the marginalized nature of the victim, but recent developments—demonstrations and inflammatory comments from the victim’s friends and family—cannot be ignored. Martin O’Fluff was killed by a deliberately placed snap-trap set up on the doorstep of his unauthorized sublet. He didn’t see it because he was a squirrel.
When Devin McNutter, a local squirrel and friend of the victim, was asked why he was striking, he said, “We’ve given so much to this community and have put up with a lot of grief over the years. Have you seen the dogs some people bring to the parks?” McNutter and other supporters have unilaterally decided to no longer frequent the parks in the area. Supporters believe that this pressure tactic, targeting small children and the elderly, will force a much needed conversation on affordable housing.“There’s no rent control on trees, so he was getting gouged,” said McNutter.
As to why NDG’s squirrel population voted to strike, a rep for the O’Fluff family had this to say: “Marty was doing his best by his family, and just wanted them to be warm. That’s why we’re staying out of the parks—respect’s what the squirrels want, not discount peanuts.” The rep began outlining a blueprint for a so-called squirrel liberation movement but broke out in unintelligible squeaks and chitters, presumably from either excited or rage.
We tried to reach the O’Fluff family for comment but they were unavailable, having run up a tree in fear of our photographer’s flash.
“It just went too far this time,” said another area rodent, “I mean, we mice are used to this sort of vitriol but it’s sad to see it spilling over and affecting our bushy-tailed cousins.”
Others on the picket line said they were uneasy about the local cat presence, especially in light of their denied request for police protection. Some demonstrators suggested that the time and place of the protest may have been leaked to the felines by O’Fluff’s killers, for the purpose of intimidation.
No formal charges have been laid as of yet because the squirrel community is terrified of cats and have not been able to cross the street since protests began. They’re also quite skittish and known for running up trees when startled.
