Some residents of a small British Columbia community -- which faced a torrent of criticism several years ago over the idea of a statue to draft dodgers from the Vietnam era -- are now unhappy about their town being characterized as a haven for soldiers fleeing the war in Iraq.
A CNN program aired on Monday described Nelson as an "anti-war refuge" and dubbed it "Resisterville." Although some residents will admit privately that any publicity is welcome, the show seems to have stuck in the craw of many in the Kootenays town.
"My feeling was it was a bit over the top," said chamber of commerce executive director Tom Thomson. "It was quite obvious they were trying to build this as an anti-war piece."
The show included a look at ex-combat engineer Kyle Snyder, who refused to serve a second term in Iraq.
The 23-year-old is viewed as a war resister by his supporters but is being treated as a deserter by U.S. military authorities. It's a key distinction, says Nelson Mayor John Dooley.
"These characters were volunteers to the military and they didn't like what they saw when they got there," he said. "I think the key thing here is [the word]deserter, these people are deserters. The word resister tends to soften it. They're deserters from the U.S. military.
"We're certainly not rolling out the red carpet."
The CNN program, hosted by popular television journalist Anderson Cooper, explored the long history of war resisters and draft dodgers in the Nelson area.
That history goes back to the 19th century, residents note, when the Doukhobors, a group of Russian pacifists, settled in the area. More recently, the easily crossed border, progressive reputation and mountainous setting helped make the region a destination for those fleeing service in Vietnam.
A reunion of sorts was planned for them in 2004, including the erection of a statue featuring a fleeing draft dodger being greeted with open arms by two Canadians. The event was never sanctioned by town council and, after a wave of protest from U.S. veterans, it was postponed and then relocated to another community.
The statue is believed to have ended up on private land.
Although residents are well aware of the area's history as a magnet for those opposed to war, and many spoke proudly of the progressive mindset in the community, no one seemed to have heard the name Resisterville before CNN used it.
But Mr. Dooley said it would be impossible to counter the perception put out by the cable news giant.
"How am I going to set the record straight with CNN?" he asked rhetorically in a telephone interview. "The reality is that I know the mood on the ground here, and in our community this is not something we're too excited about."
The mayor said he could think offhand of only two people who had fled to Nelson rather than serve out their commitments to the U.S. military.
One of those is Mr. Snyder, who was visiting Alberta with his new wife when the show aired. He married a Canadian woman within the last week, barely a month after being arrested by Nelson police.
Mr. Snyder was taken into custody Feb. 23 wearing a robe over his boxers and a tuque, detained for several hours and interviewed by Canada Border Services Agency.
Three complaints about his arrest have since been lodged with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, and an external investigation was announced yesterday by Nelson police Chief Dan Maluta.
"It has to be done appropriately by an external agency," Inspector Henry Paivarinta told The Canadian Press, when asked why Nelson police asked Abbotsford police to conduct the investigation.
"If the chief goes on record as the disciplinary authority for the department saying there's nothing wrong . . . you can appreciate that the general public is going to say, 'Well the police can't investigate themselves.' "