A video of the Canadian flag being run over and stepped on during a protest by Quebec separatists is triggering outrage around the Web.
Three separatist groups gathered in front of Montreal's City Hall on Saturday to demonstrate against Canada's no vote in the UN on Palestinian statehood, according to Global Montreal. They also took the time to lay a Canadian flag on the street so it could be run over by cars. Several protesters also trampled the flag.
The crowd wasn't large, no more than a few dozen according to CJAD, but the reaction has been big, partially due to the push to promote the footage from a group called Put Back The Flag.
The organization, which has more than 10,000 followers on Facebook, says its goal is to end discrimination based on language.
Asked to comment, Quebec's Premier Pauline Marois, herself a separatist, said she doesn't give answers to these types of questions.
By failing to condemn the incident, Marois "leaves the door open to further hate-mongering," according to the National Post's Barbara Kay. "[She] should respond to any such incidents promptly and unequivocally, making it clear that sovereignty is a condition to be achieved through civilized means, not emotional barbarism."
The Maple Leaf has been a subject of controversy in Quebec of late, partly due to Marois.
The flag was removed from Quebec's National Assembly when the new PQ government took the oath of office in September, sparking headlines across Canada. An attempt by the PQ to permanently remove the flag was defeated by opposition MNAs on Tuesday .
Despite all the controversy, a recent poll found two-thirds of Quebecers consider the national flag a source of personal or collective pride.
See what Twitter users have to to say about the video below.