Ambadassador or Bad Ambassador?
By Lynne Bell
He's been called the guy you'd want to share a foxhole with and he's been called the guy whose behavior is unbecoming of a diplomat, but Canadian Ambassasdor to Ireland, Kevin Vickers' recent takedown of a protestor at an Irish cemetary gained this country attention throughout the world, and called into question whether this Canadian hero was fit to represent this country overseas.
Vickers, of course, became a national hero in October 2014 when he shot an armed terrorist-Michael Zehaf-Bibeau- inside the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, where he served as sergeant-at-arms for the House of Commons. The 29-year veteran of the RCMP undoubtedly saved many lives that day, due to his great personal courage and willingness to take decisive action. And a man who had already gained the respect and affection of those on Parliament Hill, found himself lauded by Canadians from coast to coast, the vast majority of whom had never met him before.
After video surfaced of Vicker's Irish episode-where he physically removed a yelling protestor during a state ceremony in remembrance of British soldiers who died during Ireland's Easter Rising-social media exploded. Vickers was largely praised for his actions-with one admirer dubbing him “The AmBadAssador.” Even politicians got in on the act, with Conservative MP Jason Kenney writing “Who needs superheroes when you've got Kevin Vickers?” on his Twitter account.
However, criticism of Vickers' actions soon surfaced, too.
The Irish ceremony was held in the presence of among others, the British ambassador to Ireland, Dominick Chilcott, whom, we were reminded, did not feel it was necessary to intervene in the same way his colleague Vickers felt compelled to do. In addition to dignitaries, members of a military honour guard and Irish police were also in attendance.
As a citizen of a democratic country, 41-year-old Brian Murphy has the right to exercise his democratic right to protest. However, it's also understandable hat a yelling, angry protestor might set Vickers' personal alarm bells ringing, especially afte the traumatic events of 2014 on Parliament Hill. Add to that his almost 30 years as a member of the RCMP, and suddenly the actions of Canada's ambassador are understandable.
If Brian Murphy hadn't turned out to be simply an angry Irish citizen with a cause he felt compelled to angrily and noisily champion, things could have turned out very differently indeed that day in Dublin. Then, we may have been calling Vickers a hero, a lifesaver and heaven forbid, someone who sacrificed his life for others. In other instances around the world, a yelling protestor equals a suicide bomber.
Kevin Vickers may have jumped the gun and overreacted in Ireland, but his intentions were good and the learning curve from someone who provides protection to someone who now receives it-for example, a diplomat-must be a steep one.
Kevin Vickers' entire professional life has been one of unselfish, unobtrusive service. Any celebrity he has garnered as the result of his past heroic actions has not been sought by him. He is a worthy representative of his country and should receive a second chance as he tackles the tricky transition from police officer to forien service officer.
Right or wrong… it’s tough to say
By Kelly Running
A short time ago, in Oct. 2014, Canada celebrated Kevin Vickers as a hero for his part in an armed take-down of an assailant in the Parliament buildings. At the time Vickers was Sergeant-at-Arms for the House of Commons.
Nearly two-years later Vickers returns to being a topic in the media as he dove into action in Ireland. Vickers has become the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland and in a State ceremony held in remembrance of British soldiers who died during the 1916 Easter Rising got into a little bit of trouble.
It is a politically sensitive commemoration which was held in Dublin and an Irish protester had arrived. Vickers flew into action grabbing the protester and struggled to remove him. As they grappled, Vickers pushed the protester back and eventually security came to arrest the protester.
The issue that developed surrounded a difference of opinion. Some have heralded Vickers as a hero, going so far as to call him an “am-bad-assador.” Others however are not as impressed, after all he’s no longer an RCMP officer, but an ambassador and that’s not proper conduct for a diplomat to be engaging in.
Veronica Kitchen, a political scientist who specializes in international security at the University of Waterloo told the National Post, “Protecting his own safety is OK. But given that he was at an event about commemorating British soldiers who were killed in the Easter Rising – which is still, 100 years later, diplomatically sensitive in the United Kingdom – it was probably not a great time for him to be using force against a protester.”
Kitchen also alluded to Vickers taking action as being part of his 29 years of training and instincts as being an RCMP member.
Additionally it is said that by acting Vickers actually forced the Irish police’s hand in handling the individual as a violent threat. As a result it could actually create a larger security threat in Ireland as it could attract violence from the Irish Republican Movement.
Ultimately, is what he did right or wrong?
Although he acted heroically, politics dictate that what he did was not the best decision. Actions as a politician are constantly polarized and blown out of proportion, especially when it comes to social media. People like to say their innermost feelings which they would never actually say to someone’s face, but somehow writing it gives them a sense of detachment from what they say. Then other people simply like to entice people by “trolling” sights, simply to cause issues.
So, a politician or diplomat in this day and age have to be extra careful in what they do because absolutely everything is under the microscope and the world has become much smaller.
His actions could potentially lead to issues for the Government of Canada, just like anyone’s could. What they do has affects how the world sees Canada, which is the same for any politician or diplomat from any country. They are supposed to be embodying our country and because of that they have to represent themselves in the best way possible.
Some will say Vickers did the right thing and others will question him, but ultimately it’s a difficult world to navigate these days and one situation may make or break his position as ambassador.
