Niagara anti-racism group says wider condemnation is needed after St. Catharines school vandalized
Published June 14, 2022 at 9:46 am
The outrage over the white supremacist and homophobic vandalism of St. Catharines’ Harriet Tubman Public School on the weekend continues to simmer throughout Niagara.
The Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association thanked the public officials who spoke against the hate crime but added, “We call on far wider condemnation from not only other elected officials but from everyone in Niagara who can add their voice.”
“Those who perpetrated these attacks need to hear our region ringing with condemnation so that it stays in the minds of anyone who is encouraged by this vandalism to escalate to more violence.”
Among those who quickly condemned the hate actions were St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik, Councillors Karrie Porter and Robin McPherson and MPP Jennie Stevens.
Most concerning to the group is the fact that the white supremacy and anti-gay movements seem to be gaining a larger voice in Canada – that it’s not just an American issue.
“This is not the first time a statue of Harriet Tubman has been violated in St. Catharines, and last year another Harriet Tubman School, in her home state of Maryland in the US, was also vandalized by white supremacists,” they said.
“No one in Niagara can rest in comfort thinking that the escalation of white supremacist and anti-2SLGBTQQIA+ violence will escape us.”
They pointed to an upcoming meeting at the Niagara Falls History Museum as a good place to learn about the rise of extremism and white supremacy in the region.
The City of Niagara Falls Anti-Racism Advisory Committee is holding an event on June 27= at the Niagara Falls History Museum for a discussion with Dr. Barbara Perry “on how we can counter the rise of right-wing extremism and white supremacy in our region, and to take part in all efforts to stamp out white supremacy and hatred.”
