Don CherryB次元官网网址檚 firing from Hockey Night in Canada for his rant about immigrants wearing Remembrance Day poppies has drawn the ire of thousands of his fans.

Nearly 100,000 people as of noon on Tuesday had signed an online petition to bring the veteran sportscaster back.

B次元官网网址淒on Cherry is a Canadian icon and a symbol of the working class,B次元官网网址� said Western Standard, an Alberta-based online magazine, as it launched the petition on Monday.

B次元官网网址淗e may be politically incorrect, and may not have been as careful as he should have in his remarks, but his offence does not warrant firing.B次元官网网址�

also takes aim at Sportsnet and CBC for giving into B次元官网网址渁 mob of Liberals and Twitter activists.B次元官网网址�

WATCH:

During the CoachB次元官网网址檚 Corner segment last Saturday, Cherry said immigrants donB次元官网网址檛 wear poppies and donB次元官网网址檛 support veterans, referring to newcomers as B次元官网网址測ou people.B次元官网网址�

A number of organizations, including the Canadian Legion and Hockey Night in Canada sponsor Budweiser, were quick to condemn his comments. Co-host Ron MacLean apologized for staying silent and at one point flashing a thumbs-up during CherryB次元官网网址檚 rant.

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We know many new Canadians understand and welcome the tradition of the red poppy and will continue to educate all citizens about the significance of this powerful symbol.

B次元官网网址� The Royal Canadian Legion (@RoyalCdnLegion)

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council was inundated with complaints about both the rant and the dismissal because of it. The regulatory organization said it does not oversee matters related to firings.

Elsewhere, online betting sites are taking wagers for CherryB次元官网网址檚 replacement, with Brian Burke, the former Vancouver Canucks general manager who brought Henrik and Daniel Sedin to the team, .

B次元官网网址� with a file from The Canadian Press

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