Canada polls: Man charged with assault for throwing stones at PM Justin Trudeau

Shane Marshall, 25, resident of St Thomas, was charged with “assault with a weapon” on September 6 and appeared before a court in London town on Saturday, local police said.

Canadian police have arrested and charged an opposition politician over an incident of throwing gravel at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the town of London, Ontario earlier this month during a pre-poll campaign stop.

Trudeau was uninjured in the gravel-throwing incident that occurred as he was preparing to board his campaign bus. (Reuters file photo)

Shane Marshall, 25, resident of St Thomas, was charged with “assault with a weapon” on September 6 and appeared before a court in London town on Saturday, local police said.

Marshall, until recently, led the association for the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) in his local riding or constituency. He was recently fired from his position by the party.

Trudeau was uninjured in the gravel-throwing incident that occurred as he was preparing to board his campaign bus. Mediapersons accompanying him said some of them were also hit by small stones.

On Friday, an unidentified man was charged by police for threatening Trudeau while he was campaigning in the town of Cambridge, Ontario in August. Trudeau has faced protests by noisy crowds at several campaign stops ahead of the September 20 snap elections.