A St. Thomas man has been charged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was hit by a handful of gravel during a campaign stop in London.
The London Police Service announced on Saturday that 25-year-old Shane Marshall has been arrested and charged with one count of assault with a weapon in connection with the incident that took place late Monday afternoon.
Several media outlets have identified Marshall as the former riding association president for Elgin Middlesex London with the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). The small federal party has since removed Marshall from the position earlier this week following Trudeau's campaign stop.
Marshall appeared in court on Saturday in relation to the charge and is scheduled to appear in London court again on October 6.
Trudeau was boarding his campaign bus after visiting the London Co-Operative Brewing Company on Princess Avenue when someone threw gravel in his direction. The gravel appeared to hit the Liberal party leader in the head and shoulder. He looked startled for a moment, briefly glanced over his shoulder at the crowd, then boarded the bus. Trudeau was not hurt.
During the campaign stop, there were roughly 100 angry protesters outside of the micro-brewery where Trudeau was meeting with supporters. The group, some sporting PPC attire, could be heard chanting “lock him up” and “f–k Trudeau.”
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.
Trudeau is the first of the three main party leaders to make a stop in London ahead of the September 20 federal election.
-With files from Miranda Chant.