#ATLEORESIGNS: Twitter reacts to the Shawn Atleo resignation

#ATLEORESIGNS: As one might expect, the Twitter comments about the Shawn Atleo resignation May 2 were as polarized as the reaction to the former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations himself. Kelly Lindsay, President & CEO of the Aboriginal Human Resource Council, called Atleo “an unwavering champion & friend of Indigenous Peoples, inclusion & education” while other tweeters were just happy to continue the refrain of Atleo as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s collaborator.

    But there was also plenty of finger pointing in all other directions. Sto:lo Grand Chief Doug Kelly was in fine form this month, calling out FSIN Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde, who ran against Atleo in 2009 in that “marathon” 23-hour election, as Atleo’s betrayer, and complained about Atleo’s treatment at the hands of other chiefs. “The way some #AFN chiefs + wannabe nat’l chiefs treated Shawn Atleo is disgraceful,” Kelly tweeted.  Kelly, readers will recall, was a very big part of Atleo’s election run in 2009.

    Other tweeters also said sour grapes and bitterness at losing to Atleo was at the root of his ouster. “WOW!,” tweeted Shana.     “Haters who sabotaging NC ever since he WON & THEY lost, now trying 2 rewrite THIER role in BS politics they played.” Bill Ironstand of North Battleford tweeted “the 3 wolves attacked today. All want the NC job, we are weaker as a people today.”

    Cowboy Smithx, a self-described Zombie Killer, thinks Atleo will land on his feet however. He tweets “Expect #Atleo to show up in #BigOil within the next 6 months #JustLikePhil”, referring to the also former national chief Phil Fontaine.

    However, Rachel Ann Snow, an Indigenous consultant, was concerned about the AFN’s reaction to replace Atleo in the interim. She tweeted “#AFN exec will set up a new poobah in place! Good grief. CANT ask for collective consultation then set up a hierarchy! Same crap diffrnt NC”.