Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie is defending his actions on Tuesday when he grabbed a Global News camera and avoided answering a question.
Brodie was at the opening of a playground in Steveston when a Global News cameraman attempted to ask him a question about a European junket taken by employees of the Olympic Oval and the city.
Brodie seemed to avoid the question at the playground event, eventually turning around before grabbing the camera and continuing to walk away.
Speaking on CKNW on Wednesday morning, Brodie said it was an “unfortunate situation.”
“I said that I wasn’t going to do the interview at that time,” Brodie told CKNW host Scott Shantz.
“And then he went away. Then he came back, again, I’m in the middle of a group of people with social conversation. It was a really a nice, very nice family event. And then, he just insisted that he was going to have an interview. And I said, no.
“And the camera was up quite near my face. Again, this is all kind of a blur, but the way I remember it is the camera up near my space and I had said no and frankly in a civil society I expect that to be respected after I’ve given literally hundreds of interviews with Global and other news outlets over the years.”
Brodie said he was reacting to the camera being “in his face” and expected that an interview would be prearranged and not a surprise question at a different event.
“It was a family event, well attended, and I had indicated that I was unprepared to do an interview at that time,” Brodie said.
“I don’t think, from my point of view, it’s unreasonable to expect that if you wish to do an interviews that there would be, you know, just because I’m standing there doesn’t give the right for somebody to come up and put his camera in your face and demand answers.”
Brodie is sitting down with Global News reporter Jordan Armstrong on Wednesday morning.
“I have done countless interviews over my time and I always try and answer as best I can and provide as much detail as I am able to do,” he added.
–with files from Catherine Urquhart