The New Brunswick Liberal Party is calling a controversial video shared on social media by an NDP candidate “highly offensive and inappropriate.”
The video, which was tweeted by Portland-Simonds candidate Tony Sekulich, is a scene from the movie Downfall, which depicted the final days of Adolf Hitler’s reign in the Second World War.
Subtitles have been added to the video to make it appear as though the characters are talking about the Liberals’ election campaign.
The text implies Brian Gallant’s bid to become premier is about to fail, and casts Liberal MLA Victor Boudreau in the role of Hitler.
Sekulich has since deleted the tweet from his account.
The Liberals have called on provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy to apologize for the video being posted.
Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, who is co-chair of the New Brunswick Liberal Party campaign, said Gallant’s grandfather was imprisoned for helping Jewish families.
“I can’t believe anyone would stoop this low,” he said.
Cardy said he feels the Liberals are taking something intended as a joke and blowing it out of proportion.
“In the end I’m responsible for my party, so I certainly in no way want to make light of anyone who talks about Nazis even in a frivolus way,” he said.
“I spent years when Mr. Gallant was a coach at tennis camp…working with the victims of genocide. So making light of something likew this in the middle of an election campaign is not something I find funny.
“But I don’t find Mr. Gallant’s tactics funny either.”
With files from Laura Brown and Emily Baron Cadloff, Global News
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