Don Cherry91Ƶs firing from Hockey Night in Canada for his rant about immigrants wearing Remembrance Day poppies has drawn the ire of thousands of his fans.
Nearly 100,000 people as of noon on Tuesday had signed an online petition to bring the veteran sportscaster back.
91ƵDon Cherry is a Canadian icon and a symbol of the working class,91Ƶ said Western Standard, an Alberta-based online magazine, as it launched the petition on Monday.
91ƵHe may be politically incorrect, and may not have been as careful as he should have in his remarks, but his offence does not warrant firing.91Ƶ
also takes aim at Sportsnet and CBC for giving into 91Ƶa mob of Liberals and Twitter activists.91Ƶ
WATCH:
During the Coach91Ƶs Corner segment last Saturday, Cherry said immigrants don91Ƶt wear poppies and don91Ƶt support veterans, referring to newcomers as 91Ƶyou people.91Ƶ
A number of organizations, including the Canadian Legion and Hockey Night in Canada sponsor Budweiser, were quick to condemn his comments. Co-host Ron MacLean apologized for staying silent and at one point flashing a thumbs-up during Cherry91Ƶs rant.
2/2
91Ƶ The Royal Canadian Legion (@RoyalCdnLegion)
We know many new Canadians understand and welcome the tradition of the red poppy and will continue to educate all citizens about the significance of this powerful symbol.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council was inundated with complaints about both the rant and the dismissal because of it. The regulatory organization said it does not oversee matters related to firings.
Elsewhere, online betting sites are taking wagers for Cherry91Ƶs replacement, with Brian Burke, the former Vancouver Canucks general manager who brought Henrik and Daniel Sedin to the team, .
91Ƶ with a file from The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .