Andrew Dreschel's Nathan Cirillo 'Not A Hero' Column Generates Backlash | HuffPost

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Ottawa Shooting Victim Was No Hero, Columnist Says

Jesse Ferreras— The Huffington Post Canada

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Guillaume Haché

Was Ottawa shooting victim Cpl. Nathan Cirillo a hero?

The answer is no, if you ask Hamilton Spectator columnist Andrew Dreschel.

The writer was criticized heavily on social media Friday after penning a column in which he questioned Cirillo's status as a hero.

The column's headline was changed for the online version of the piece to "Cpl. Nathan Cirillo an accidental hero."

The 24-year-old reservist from the Hamilton-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was killed after gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot him as he guarded the National War Memorial last week.

Zehaf-Bibeau was later killed by Parliament Hill security after he entered Centre Block.

Canadians gathered around the Highway of Heroes as Cirillo's body was taken to Hamilton last Friday, where thousands paid respects during his funeral.

In the column, Dreschel asked why Cirillo had achieved what he called "secular canonization."

From his column:

"The honour is accrued by performing brave deeds and daring feats — risking or sacrificing your life to save others, valiantly defending a position, boldly destroying the enemy.
"Cirillo may have possessed those heroic qualities and might even have had a chance to display them had he lived. But he didn't. He died unprepared and unarmed, the unlucky victim of a seemingly deranged killer who was himself gunned down after storming Parliament.
"And yet the random nature of Cirillo's death has in no way impeded his posthumous promotion to hero in headlines, articles, comments, tweets and even a local billboard."

A reader angered by his words started a Change.org petition calling on the newspaper to fire him. It had more than 1,400 supporters as of Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, some tweets accused him of being disrespectful, while others said that serving one's country is enough to qualify you as a hero.

Others supported Dreschel.

For his part, Dreschel re-tweeted several tweets which expressed opinions both for and against him.

Responding to the criticism, the columnist said that his piece was "not only my opinion, it reflects the views of many people who may be reluctant to speak up."

Spectator editor-in-chief Paul Berton, meanwhile, said he understood why readers were offended, but added a newspaper "cannot suppress opinions just because we may not agree with them."

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In Pictures: Nathan Cirillo's Funeral

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The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment parade during the funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Toronto on Tuesday October 28, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn) (credit:CP)

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Members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment marches during the funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ont. on Tuesday October 28, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn) (credit:CP)

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Two police officers stand under a Canadian flag ahead of the funeral for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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Kathy Cirillo is conforted by soldiers during the funeral procession for her son Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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The casket of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is towed during his funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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The flag-draped casket of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is towed during his funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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Marcus Cirillo, the son of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, wears a Highlander cap during the funeral procession for his father in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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The mother of Nathan Cirillo lays her head on a soldier's shoulder during a pause in the escort of his body through the streets toward his funeral service in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. HIs son Nathan, 5, is at right, with his aunt, Natasha Cirillo, bent down. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power) (credit:CP)

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A Highlanders regimental pipe band takes part in Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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A woman writes words of words of condolence on a Canadian flag for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo ahead of his funeral in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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The casket of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is towed during his funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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Mounted Hamilton police ride down a street as people gather for the funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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Kathy Cirillo is comforted in front of the coffin of her son Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at his regimental funeral service in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette) (credit:CP)

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, and Laureen Harper attend the regimental funeral service for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette) (credit:CP)

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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, centre, and Treasury Board President Tony Clement, right, attend the regimental funeral service for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 28, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette) (credit:CP)

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