MONTREAL – Outrage is growing after a video of two men harassing a homeless man in downtown Montreal made the rounds on social media.
The video shows one man throwing his drink on a panhandler, while he and the person shooting the video laugh and hurl obscenities at him.
Telling him to “get a motherf**** job,” one of the men is heard saying.
Mayor Denis Coderre weighed in on Twitter calling the actions unacceptable and calling for an investigation into the matter.
Montreal police spokesperson Andrée-Anne Picard told Global News they are aware of the situation and have now launched an official criminal investigation.
Officers with the mobile homeless intervention unit were trying to locate the victim early Tuesday morning.
Tommy Roberge posted a public apology on his Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon. In it, his friend Francis Gauthier is saying he had acted foolishly without thinking of the consequences.
“I meant no disrespect,” said Francis Gauthier. He goes on to explain that he has nothing against homeless people.
“What people don’t know is that before, that homeless guy disrespectfully called my girlfriend a whore and spat on her.”
To justify his actions Gauthier said: “I did what any man would have done to defend his girlfriend.”
But Gauthier added that he was ready to make amends.
“I was contacted by the Old Brewery Mission today to do community work,” he said. “So I will go and volunteer.”
**Editor’s note: a previous version of this story mentioned Tommy Roberge apologized for his actions on Facebook when in fact, it was Francis Gauthier.