Canadian protesters in Toronto demand the resignation of Mayor Rob Ford amid scandal, June 1, 2013.
Hundreds of Canadians have held a protest in Toronto demanding the resignation of Mayor Rob Ford as he faces a scandal over allegations of using drugs.
The rally, called Å“Step Up For Toronto – Letâ„¢s Demand Rob Fordâ„¢s Resignation,” gathered a large and loud crowd outside the city hall on Saturday.
Å“Heâ„¢s a man who appears willing to say anything – except the truth – to stay in office,” said one of the demonstrators, Jim Hedger, adding, Å“Heâ„¢s not been good economically or culturally for this town.”
This was the first mass protest since a video surfaced in mid-May allegedly showing Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Ford has said he will not step down and has denied the allegations as well as the existence of the video, but unverified footage of the video has been published.
Since the scandal broke out, five senior members of the mayorâ„¢s staff have quit.
In addition, chief of staff Mark Towhey was fired last week for reportedly telling Ford he needed to seek help for his addiction.
This is not the first scandal involving Ford. Prior to being elected mayor in 2010, he was once asked to leave a gala fundraiser for wounded Canadian soldiers because he was drunk, according to the Toronto Star.
Ford was also arrested in the US state of Florida in 1999 for marijuana possession and charged with driving under the influence of the drug. He confirmed the arrest during his election campaign.
The scandal may not stop here. On May 30, Toronto police said they had charged a second man with first-degree murder in the killing of Anthony Smith, who appears next to Ford in a photo that is at the center of the video controversy.
CAH/HSN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV