Haley Bateman & Veronica Charrois Label Niagara Men "Vermin"

Niagara Regional Councillor Haley Bateman Calls Male Residents “Vermin” — Mayoral Candidate Veronica Charrois Supports Dehumanization of Opposition

Political satire is supposed to provoke a reaction. Sometimes people laugh. Sometimes they roll their eyes. Sometimes they get offended. Occasionally, they fire back.
That’s all part of a democracy.
For years, The GIN has published commentary, satire, memes, opinion pieces, and yes, the occasional baked potato joke. We poke fun at politicians. We question decisions and hold power to account. We challenge narratives. We do what political commentators and satirists have done for centuries.
Last week, Grimsby mayoral candidate Veronica Charrois decided to respond.
Her response was not a rebuttal. It wasn’t a correction of facts. It wasn’t an argument against a position we had taken. Instead, it was an attempt at ridicule. In a cartoon-style post, The GIN was depicted as a filthy basement-dwelling internet troll surrounded by garbage, pizza boxes, and empty pop cans while publishing “fake polls” from a computer screen.
Fine.
Political cartoons have always been part of public discourse. Public figures are entitled to mock critics just as critics are entitled to mock public figures. If that had been the end of it, there would be little worth discussing.
But then Niagara Regional Councillor Haley Bateman entered the conversation.
“These guys are vermin. Go get em V!”
Not wrong.
Not misguided.
Vermin.
Think about that word for a moment. Pure hatred. Not one other person supported Bateman’s motion labelling local men “Vermin” except Veronica Charrois, who publicly put her public support behind Bateman’s proclamation. But why do they hate men in particular so deeply they would publicly call them vermin?
Vermin are not people. Vermin are pests. Infestations. Creatures that invade, contaminate, spread disease, and need to be removed. The purpose of the word is not to criticize conduct. The purpose of the word is to strip away humanity.
History teaches us why the word “vermin” is so dangerous and hateful.
Long before violence is normalized, language changes first. Political opponents become enemies. Enemies become threats. Threats become animals. Animals become vermin.
Throughout history, some of humanity’s darkest chapters have relied on exactly this progression using the exact same word. Be it targeting ethnic groups, religious minorities, political dissidents, ideological opponents, or inconvenient critics, the tactic remains remarkably consistent: stop describing people as people. Reduce them to something that you can exterminate without much opposition.
Once someone is viewed as a pest rather than a citizen, the standards of decency begin to erode. Dialogue becomes unnecessary. Respect becomes optional. Silencing becomes justified. Exclusion becomes acceptable.
That is why language is important.
And that is why it is particularly troubling when it comes from someone entrusted with public office.
The obvious question is simple:
Who exactly are the vermin?
The comment refers to “these guys.” Plural.
Who is included in that category?
The authors of The GIN?
People who share our content?
Residents who disagree with Councillor Bateman?
Citizens who question local government?
Political opponents?
What’s the threshold a Niagara resident must meet to become classified as “vermin” by Bateman or Charrois?
The public deserves an answer because elected officials do not represent only those who agree with them. They represent everyone.
Councillor Bateman is no stranger to controversy. Her political career has often been defined by confrontation, activism, and highly charged rhetoric, many alleging that she supports political violence (think Charlie Kirk grave dancing scandal). Supporters view her as fearless and outspoken and celebrate her efforts to dehumanize others. Critics view her as divisive, harmful and inflammatory.
But regardless of where one stands politically, there should be broad agreement on one principle: elected representatives should not be dehumanizing residents.
At the time of writing, we have requested clarification from Councillor Bateman regarding who exactly she was referring to and whether she stands by the comment. Instead of addressing the comment directly, Bateman deflected a number of times and accused The GIN of making the cartoon in question. We informed Bateman that it was actually Charrois who created the cartoon. But even if it was someone else, there are many questions.
If an elected official publicly describes local people as “vermin,” should the public simply accept that as normal political discourse?
Or should we expect better from those who ask for the privilege of representing us?

Видео Haley Bateman & Veronica Charrois Label Niagara Men "Vermin" канала The Grimsby Independent News