Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was hit by a handful of gravel while leaving London late Monday afternoon.
Trudeau, making his first visit to the city of the federal election campaign, was boarding a bus after visiting the London Co-Operative Brewing Company when someone hurled the small stones at him.
They appeared to hit him on the head and shoulder, however, he was not hurt. Trudeau briefly looked back at the crowd after the incident before stepping onto the bus.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole called the act “disgusting.”
“Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence,” tweeted O’Toole.
This is disgusting and I condemn these actions in the strongest terms possible. Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence. https://t.co/xF3TaWXSvI
— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) September 6, 2021
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was also quick to condemned the actions of the protesters.
"It is not acceptable to throw objects at anyone. Ever. No matter how angry you are. And, it’s never ok to try to intimidate people who don’t agree with you - or the media. Enough," Singh tweeted.
There were roughly 100 angry protesters outside of the micro-brewery where Trudeau was meeting with supporters. The group, some sporting People’s Party of Canada attire, could be heard chanting "lock him up" and "f--k Trudeau."
London West Liberal candidate Arielle Kayabaga, who introduced Trudeau at the event, also took to social media over Monday's incident.
"When they go low we will continue to go high," Kayabaga wrote.
Trudeau has been dogged by protesters angry over pandemic safety measures at multiple stops throughout the campaign. Prior to his stop in London, he was met by a similar group of demonstrators in Brantford. A week and a half ago, a Liberal campaign rally in Bolton, Ontario where Trudeau was slated to address supporters was cancelled due to security concerns. Angry protesters outnumbered Liberal supporters and Trudeau later stated the event was cancelled as they could not ensure people's safety.
Trudeau is the first of the three main party leaders to make a stop in London ahead of the September 20 vote.