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Toronto Councillor Warns of Communist Purge at City Hall, Wraps Face in Electrical Tape

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti believes he is being ousted from a committee on bike lanes by communists

A spectre is haunting Toronto city hall – the spectre of bike lanes.

“Democracy” is “dead at city hall,” says controversial Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, an outspoken ally of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

In a photo posted to Twitter this week, Mammoliti wrapped electrical tape over his face and posed next to a Canadian flag, accusing “comrade” Mike Layton and other “socialists” of trying to purge him from Toronto’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee to silence his opinions about “bike lanes.”

Mammoliti, who advocates banning bikes from city streets, was apparently reacting to recent calls from citizens and colleagues alike for Mayor John Tory to remove the Ward 7 councillor from the city’s public works committee.

Last week, Councillor Mike Layton tweeted that Mammoliti’s poor attendance record and erratic behaviour show he’s “not interested in building safer streets,” adding that he would personally “second the motion” if Tory removes Mammoliti from the committee.

Twitter’s reaction to Mammoliti’s bizarre photo went pretty well as you’d expect:

However, Mammoliti’s over-the-top anti-bike rhetoric also comes in the wake of a slew of tragic accidents that have taken the lives of two cyclists and one pedestrian.

While Mammoliti plays dress up on Twitter, in reality many cyclists feel unsafe on Toronto’s streets, where inadequate infrastructure and reckless driving behaviour is putting lives at risk.

Unfortunately, neither the deaths nor the many shocking tales from cyclists have convinced people like Mammoliti to tone it down and listen.

The Toronto Sun has joined Mammoliti, with the right-wing tabloid stepping up its absurd rhetoric claiming there is a “war on the car,” echoing the days when Rob Ford was mayor of Toronto.

According to Toronto police, some 20 cyclists and pedestrians have already died on Toronto’s streets this year.

 

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