After UVic Pride received reports of white supremacy posters taped up in Victoria, roughly 50 people joined a peaceful counter-poster creation.
Alexis Masur, who works with UVic Pride, said someone sent them two photos of posters using white-supremacy rhetoric. Each shows a white woman, with overlaying text reading: B次元官网网址淭he beauty of the European woman must be preserved.B次元官网网址� One was found at Cook Street and Yates, while the other was in North Park.
So Masur decided to organize a peaceful gathering where people could make their own posters in response.
Two posters found in Victoria read "The beauty of the European woman must be preserved." UVic Pride/Facebook photo
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On Nov. 12, armed with colourful markers, around 50 people met in Centennial Square. The new posters they created shared messages such as B次元官网网址淪pread loveB次元官网网址�, B次元官网网址淣eo-Nazis not welcome!B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淟ove for everyone.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淧eople are feeling quite hopeless and not sure what they can do anymore,B次元官网网址� Masur said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to say that even though the politics around this are getting quite intimidating, there are still people out there who want to create change and fight against the rising number of white supremacists within Victoria.B次元官网网址�
Once their message was down on paper, the group walked to where one of the original posters was found. On their way to North Park and back, the group was led by a woman beating a drum and singing.
One woman who attended the event said she wanted to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people, B次元官网网址渆specially because IB次元官网网址檓 a settler and itB次元官网网址檚 my responsibility to do that.B次元官网网址� Brandon Dennis, whose poster read B次元官网网址淣eo-Nazies not welcome!B次元官网网址� said he wanted to show white supremacy is not OK on Vancouver Island.
B次元官网网址淢aybe for people who have racist views or Islamophobic views, they may see [the posters] and it may make them want to keep that to themselves and realize this isnB次元官网网址檛 the type of city you can do that in,B次元官网网址� Masur said.
Billy Yu, who also helped with the event, said they werenB次元官网网址檛 surprised when they heard about the white supremacy posters found in Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭here are more and more folks who feel like itB次元官网网址檚 OK to be more bold about their connections or beliefs around white supremacy and whiteness. I think it was a cowardice act. IB次元官网网址檓 glad there are folks who want to come together and remind not just the city or the larger population, but just remind each other that that isnB次元官网网址檛 OK in our neighbourhoods,B次元官网网址� Yu said.
B次元官网网址淚 think people have a choice every day to choose care and compassion over hatred, bigotry and prejudice.B次元官网网址�
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keili.bartlett@blackpress.ca
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