A banner hung on an overpass south of Campbell River depicting a white nationalist statement is B次元官网网址渘ot something we want our community to be known for,B次元官网网址� says RCMP Sgt. Chris Voller.
The banner, which displayed a link to a Telegram Channel, which the company says is a B次元官网网址渢ool for broadcasting your public messages to large audiencesB次元官网网址� as well as a message with white supremacist content, was pictured hanging on the Airport Main overpass where it crosses Highway 19. The image has been shared on Facebook as well as Reddit, and had come to the attention of the Campbell River RCMP detachment.
B次元官网网址淟ike any other citizen of our area, I was disappointed,B次元官网网址� said Voller. B次元官网网址淚 look at Campbell River as having a pretty diverse cultural background. We have a lot of Indigenous people, weB次元官网网址檙e a melting pot society, we have all this representation and then thereB次元官网网址檚 somebody who is deciding to put this kind of message out.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 twofold: itB次元官网网址檚 the wrong message B次元官网网址� obviously that sort of thing has no place in Campbell River B次元官网网址� and then two, to other individuals who are visiting our area it really reflects poorly on what I think Campbell RiverB次元官网网址檚 community base is,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a good, respectful group of people that finds that different cultures actually enrich community and donB次元官网网址檛 take away from it, as that person would purport.B次元官网网址�
VollerB次元官网网址檚 sentiment was echoed on social media. One Reddit user wrote in response to a person of colour living in Campbell River that B次元官网网址渢his is DEFINITELY not what CR is about. A group of my friends drove down to take it down, but it was already cut. Please know that you are more than welcome in our community.B次元官网网址�
Voller said the detachment had another report about this kind of thing a few months ago. He is asking if people see further banners or messages like this to report them to the RCMP non-emergency line immediately.
B次元官网网址淲e would never promote a driver using a digital device, but if they could note if thereB次元官网网址檚 a person or vehicle present there, we would value that,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f they are able to wait with it, let the police know and weB次元官网网址檒l get there as soon as possibleB次元官网网址� Please leave it as it is, let the police get there and handle it. It would be treated as evidence.B次元官网网址�
Though the social media attention could have the effect of increasing the messageB次元官网网址檚 reach, Voller said that within Campbell River he thinks there is B次元官网网址渘o appetite for that.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淧eople deserve to not have to see that. ThereB次元官网网址檚 enough tragic things going on in the world that draw our attention to negative things, we donB次元官网网址檛 need this in Campbell River,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his is the first time IB次元官网网址檝e seen something that I believe is a race-based hate crime. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to say if this would meet the definition for a hate crime, but itB次元官网网址檚 certainly inflammatory. ItB次元官网网址檚 racialized, and not anything that we would want to have in our community.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淥ur community has gone through a lot,B次元官网网址� he said B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had a lot of issues, especially in the past few months with violence and this sort of thing, and this is just not becoming of our community.B次元官网网址�
The RCMP non-emergency line is 250-286-6221.
RELATED:
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on and follow us on
