The riding office of MNA Gerry Sklavounos was vandalized on Thursday with anti-sexual assault posters.
The posters were glued to the ground floor window of the St. Laurent Blvd. building, facing a photo of Sklavounos. One of them read “Justice for victims of sexual assault,” with the words flanked by two clenched fists.
Last fall, Sklavounos was accused of twice sexually assaulting a Quebec City restaurant hostess in 2014. A criminal complaint filed against him led to further allegations of improprieties against the MNA from National Assembly employees.
Last week, police announced Sklavounos would not be charged with any crime.
The vandalism came hours after Sklavounos held a press conference to announce his intention to return to work at the National Assembly next week.
Sklavounous’s explanation for his behaviour was disappointing, said Dominique Raptis, counsellor for Calacs West Island, a non-profite group that advocates against sexual assault and helps female survivors of sexual violence.
“He said that he was outgoing and passionate and because of that he may act in an awkward way. But he put the responsibility on the victim saying they should have told him they were uncomfortable with this situation,” she said.
Raptis's job is to help victims file complaints and see them through to the end.
“Only about 5 per cent of victims file a complaint, so it's hard for them. They are ashamed or feel guilty they don't want to file any complaint. So when we say, ‘We believe you,’ we're taking off the shame and guilt of what they live through,” she said.
Premier Philippe Couillard has said he doesn’t know if or when Sklavounos would be welcome back in the Liberal caucus.
With a report from The Canadian Press
