Alberta bar hangs Trudeau pinata, causes online backlash

Newell, the man behind the stunt, says that the only thing he would change about the anti-Trudeau gimmick is securing the pinata with a rope around Trudeau’s neck.

“The only downfall was for structural reasons we had to Zip-Tie the rope around his neck because soeone would hit it once, it would have fallen,” said Newell in a statement to the Canadian Press.

Newell knew, of course, that Albertans tend to have a distaste for Trudeau, stating that he knew the stunt would stick with Red Deer residents.

“We were putting together the Canada Day party and I said it’d be funny to make a Justin Trudeau pinata. We filled it with money, candy and little notes of things he promised. It was all just in fun,” he said.

“It’s no surprise that people in Alberta don’t like the guy, so I knew it would get some traction.”

The idea of making a world-leader pinata is nothing new, though. On Amazon, 32” tall President Trump pinatas have been selling like hot cakes for a few years now. Those pinatas, according to their description on the site, are “handcrafted with love by Mexicans.”

The pinata in Red Deer, though, was crafted with love by Newell.

“I don’t hate the guy,” said the crafty bar owner, stating that if Trudeau wanted to come to his bar, he’d be served just like any other customer.

Along with all stunts of this nature, Newell recieved some backlash. Newell says he isn’t surprised by it, and is quick to point out that there have been much more distasteful protests against Trudeau and the Liberals.

“I saw kids carrying signs with Trudeau on fire and I thought that’s a little intense,” Newell said. “There’s a lot more going on than a pinata at a party.”

Despite Newell’s tempered approach, some online were quick to cry foul anyway.

The outrage came from Trudeau supporters and those who just flat out did not see humour in hanging a pinata of the prime minister by his neck.

A lot of the comments were disparaging against residents of Red Deer themselves, painting out a picture that Red Deer is an intolerant part of Alberta.

Though some harsh language was used against the small town of 99,800, the pinata remains, as Newell still says he sees nothing wrong with the stunt.

What do you think of the Trudeau pinata? Let us know in the comments below.