The residents of a Canadian city are in an uproar over offensive posters they recently received.
People in Richmond, British Columbia, a city with a large Chinese population, opened their mailboxes to find anti-Chinese fliers promoting the “alt-right,” a movement that embraces the idea that “white identity” is under attack, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Step aside, whitey! The Chinese are taking over!” the poster reads.
“So you can now enjoy the ‘privilege’ of being marginalized in the community your forefathers built, have neighbors who refuse to speak your language, and not be able to afford a home! Not what you signed up for? Join the alt-right.”
The individuals responsible for the posters have not been identified, but local law enforcement officials are currently investigating the incident, Cpl. Dennis Hwang of the Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.
The fliers have outraged Richmond residents like Dawn Michalak, who told CTV News she hoped people would put the papers “straight in their recycling bin[s].” Others connected the hateful words to the acts of racism that sprung up in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.
“There is no place for that divisive and racist fear-mongering in Canada, and certainly not in Richmond,” local Kelly Greene told Richmond News. “We are each other’s neighbors, coworkers, and friends. The hate spewed in the United States is not welcome here.”
The rhetoric on the fliers in “no way reflects” his community’s values, said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Richmond is known as an inclusive and harmonious community where all cultures feel welcome,” he said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. “The views expressed in the flyer are misguided and shameful.”
In addition to the hateful message, the fliers also provided links to two websites that promote alt-right ideas and feature some pro-Trump articles.
While Asian-Americans and other U.S. minorities and immigrants have faced a flood of racist incidents after the election, Canadian minorities and immigrants have also been targeted. Rabbi Anna Maranta, who runs a Jewish prayer center, found a swastika spray-painted on the front door of her Ottawa home, according to CBC News. And in the city of Regina, pro-KKK graffiti was sprayed on resident Stanley Bowes’ property, Global News reported.
Though some Canadians fear these attacks are related to Trump’s win, experts say it’s too soon to reach that conclusion. Rinaldo Walcott, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto, notes that these kind of hateful incidents preceded the election ― but the recent acts of hate in U.S. may have exacerbated them.
“What you have is an opening where some of what has been in the shadows is coming out, and of course, we must see the relationship between that and the U.S. election,” Walcott told Vice News. “But I want to stress that the seeds of it were already here.”
Have you been a victim of an act of harassment or discrimination? If so, we encourage you to report the incident to local authorities, and to send us an email about it at: trackinghate@huffingtonpost.com.
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