Who Is The Most Reviled Person in Your Country's History?

[viper37]

in Quebec: James Wolfe, John George Lambton (1st Earl of Durham), Pierre-Elliot Trudeau.
In Canada: René Lévesque.

Both you and Oex mentioned levesque, and I don't know if it's just my age, but no one I know would echo that sentiment.

He's been mentionned a few times in conversation with anglos, on Paradox, and in real-life.  Parizeau and Bouchard were both compared to Hitler by the English Canadian press.

Hitler?  either this is your normal hyperbol or we watch much different news channels.

@ Malthus: Viper is easily triggered but I don't know much about Oex's views so I want sure.

http://www.efc.ca/pages/media/ottawa-computes.dec96.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/friends-testify-politicians-nothing-like-hitler-1.184341

[Barrister]

in Quebec: James Wolfe, John George Lambton (1st Earl of Durham), Pierre-Elliot Trudeau.
In Canada: René Lévesque.

Both you and Oex mentioned levesque, and I don't know if it's just my age, but no one I know would echo that sentiment.

He's been mentionned a few times in conversation with anglos, on Paradox, and in real-life.  Parizeau and Bouchard were both compared to Hitler by the English Canadian press.

Hitler?  either this is your normal hyperbol or we watch much different news channels.

@ Malthus: Viper is easily triggered but I don't know much about Oex's views so I want sure.

http://www.efc.ca/pages/media/ottawa-computes.dec96.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/friends-testify-politicians-nothing-like-hitler-1.184341

You have a funny idea about what constitutes "English Canadian press".

A judge has ruled that stockbroker Richard Lafferty defamed Premier Lucien Bouchard and former premier Jacques Parizeau by comparing them to Adolf Hitler.

Justice Luc Lefebvre ordered Lafferty to pay the two politicians $40,000 plus costs.

The Quebec Superior Court suit concerned a 1993 issue of Lafferty Canadian Report, a newsletter sent to 275 subscribers.
Lefebvre said people who go into political life realize they will be subject to abuse, "but there is a limit to be respected,'' the judge said.

Defence counsel Mark Bantey says Lafferty is ready to appeal the judgement all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bouchard-wins-defamation-case-1.196947

In fact I think Malthus had it about right:

He's doing his usual trick of attributing the dumbest, most offensive things ever said by anyone in English Canada over the last 200 years, in the press or (now) on Internet chat sites, to all English Canadians everywhere.

[viper37]

it was widely reported by the English press at the time, and I can't remember the Gazette ever disagreed or condemned the letter, for example.

As for the generality of it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Quebec_sentiment

I guess the Toronto Sun is sent to only 275 subcribers?
to hear people talk about Quebec culture would give Hermann Göring the desire to brandish his revolver." — Peter Stockland, Toronto Sun, November 30, 1989[page needed]
Quebec leaves a bad taste in the mouth, in my opinion, take these bastards and throw them into the ocean."

"I will NEVER let up in my battle against the LEFT. I will do everything that i can to get the RACIST Province of Quebec out of Canada, and to end the French Ethnocentric AFFIRMATIVE action policy within Canada that denies the 97% English Canadian MAJORITY (excluding Quebec) fair access to work in their own civil services, and hold senior ranks in Canada's military and the RCMP (National Police Force)."

there's more samples.

[Zanza]

I wrote Hitler earlier, but we have a whole circus of reviled persons from the 20th century alone. Mengele, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, von Trotha, Mielke, Honecker, ... The list is endless.

[Barrister]

There's a distinction that can and should be made between criticizing sovereignists and some of their policies (language laws, the Charter of Quebec Values proposed a few years ago), and criticizing Quebecers.  All of the examples on your wiki page are uncited, so it's impossible to prove the statement was made (this is wiki, after all), never mind tell in what context they were made.

[Malthus]

I wrote Hitler earlier, but we have a whole circus of reviled persons from the 20th century alone. Mengele, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, Lettow-Vorbeck, Mielke, Honecker, ... The list is endless.

Here in Canada, we have an extensive history of deeply reviled hockey players ... 

Why, the Maple Leafs alone would provide a hefty list! 

[Malthus]

it was widely reported by the English press at the time, and I can't remember the Gazette ever disagreed or condemned the letter, for example.

As for the generality of it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Quebec_sentiment

I guess the Toronto Sun is sent to only 275 subcribers?
to hear people talk about Quebec culture would give Hermann Göring the desire to brandish his revolver." — Peter Stockland, Toronto Sun, November 30, 1989[page needed]
Quebec leaves a bad taste in the mouth, in my opinion, take these bastards and throw them into the ocean."

"I will NEVER let up in my battle against the LEFT. I will do everything that i can to get the RACIST Province of Quebec out of Canada, and to end the French Ethnocentric AFFIRMATIVE action policy within Canada that denies the 97% English Canadian MAJORITY (excluding Quebec) fair access to work in their own civil services, and hold senior ranks in Canada's military and the RCMP (National Police Force)."

there's more samples.

Viper, you seem unable to distinguish between two things:

(1) Some people in English Canada have made statements denigrating Quebec over the last century or so; and

(2) Hatred of Quebec is widespread, uncontroversial, and commonly expressed today in English Canada.

When challenged for basically stating (2), you simply find some examples of (1). In this case a Wikipedia page no less, which suffers from the further problem of being unable to distinguish "criticism of particular policies and laws passed by the Quebec government" with "statements denigrating Quebec". 

[alfred russel]

I wrote Hitler earlier, but we have a whole circus of reviled persons from the 20th century alone. Mengele, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, von Trotha, Mielke, Honecker, ... The list is endless.

Also michael schumacher.

[The Brain]

A good candidate is Gustav IV Adolf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_IV_Adolf_of_Sweden

200+ years after the fact he is still the scapegoat for why Finland was lost to the Russkies.

Lousy king but its not like anyone else would have been able to win that war.

Cronstedt who quickly surrendered the fortress Sveaborg (in the same war) was pretty reviled, but of course these days few Swedes have heard of him.

Anckarström who murdered Gustav III had a poor rep (IIRC the family changed their name afterwards), but again these days no one cares.

A hundred years ago school kids would learn about the evil advisor Jöran Persson who worked for Erik XIV, but today he's forgotten.

Charles XII is pretty reviled by a significant segment of the population, but I'd say controversial is a better word than reviled in his case. The same can be said about Olof Palme.

Of course you have a group of infamous criminals like mass-murderer Mattias Flink and stuff, but they will come and go.

A vocal minority in the southern provinces dislikes Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XI for stuff done in wars against the Danes (burning, pillaging, killing), but those monarchs are overall pretty popular.

All in all not that many great villains in Swedish history, Gustav IV Adolf is probably the best candidate. He gives off a general loser vibe, which can never be forgiven.

[celedhring]

Olof Palme was wildly popular in Spain because of his opposition to Franco, his assassination was a shock. I remember mom watching the news and rushing to call my dad at work "They killed Olof Palme!".

I'm aware he was a pretty polarizing figure in Sweden and abroad.

[The Brain]

Olof Palme was wildly popular in Spain because of his opposition to Franco, his assassination was a shock. I remember mom watching the news and rushing to call my dad at work "They killed Olof Palme!".

I'm aware he was a pretty polarizing figure in Sweden and abroad.

His feelings towards dictators were... ambivalent.

[celedhring]

Olof Palme was wildly popular in Spain because of his opposition to Franco, his assassination was a shock. I remember mom watching the news and rushing to call my dad at work "They killed Olof Palme!".

I'm aware he was a pretty polarizing figure in Sweden and abroad.

His feelings towards dictators were... ambivalent.

Yeah, I know. Supported the Cuban regime and some guerrillas.

In Spain, he was a refreshing opposing voice in a time where most western governments just played nice with the regime due to realpolitik.

[Zanza]

I wrote Hitler earlier, but we have a whole circus of reviled persons from the 20th century alone. Mengele, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, Lettow-Vorbeck, Mielke, Honecker, ... The list is endless.

Here in Canada, we have an extensive history of deeply reviled hockey players ... 

Why, the Maple Leafs alone would provide a hefty list! 

That ain't the same fuckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport. 

[CountDeMoney]

Tie Domi is a fucking war criminal.

[Duque de Bragança]

Prompted by the Benedict Arnold thread.  Answer either for yourself or for the country as a whole.

For the US: Lee Harvey Oswald?  Nixon?  Bull Connor? Tokyo Rose? The Koch brothers?  The creator of Family Circus?

in Quebec: James Wolfe, John George Lambton (1st Earl of Durham), Pierre-Elliot Trudeau.
In Canada: René Lévesque.

No Justin Trudeau yet? I'm sure he can equal his father, given time, at the very least.