Rally for victims of racism
In order to dismantle white supremacy, people have to get involved with their feet, organizers of a Niagara rally for victims in Charlottesville say.
If people don’t take to the streets, don’t organize, don’t denounce white supremacy, Zanab Jafry said Tuesday, they’ll never be able to root it out of society.
“The only way we can truly have this free and inclusive society that we clearly already have is through direct action,” Jafry said.
“Until you are taking the steps to organize and to denounce and to fight white supremacism, there will always be white supremacism in Canada, in Ontario and of course in St. Catharines.”
Niagara residents are being invited to show solidarity with the victims in Charlottesville, Va., at the rally Wednesday night in front of St. Catharines city hall on Church Street.
It’s taking place from 7 to 9 p.m.
The demonstration, which Jafry said is one of more than 680 across Canada, comes in response to a weekend of white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville that turned violent.
On Saturday, a 32-year-old woman was killed and 19 other people injured after a car drove into a crowd of people protesting against white nationalist, neo-Nazi and other right-wing groups.
A 20-year-old Ohio man has been charged with second-degree murder, among other charges.
“Seeing this outward and explicit display of the white supremacy that we know exists in the United States, it requires a
response that’s just as strong,” said Jafry.
“People need to understand and see visually that there’s hundreds of people who will fight against neo-Nazism, who will fight against white supremacy and white nationalism.”
Jafry, a supervisor for the Brock Student Justice Centre dedicated to making sure every student feels safe regardless of race, sexuality, gender or religion, said she’s concerned about the surge in white supremacy, white nationalism and neoNazism in Europe, the United States and Canada.
She said Canadians, especially those who live close to the border, compare our level of violence to the United States and pat ourselves on the back for not being as bad or as destructive.
“This accomplishes nothing,” Jafry said. “What it does do though, as a by-product, is it actually creates a disgusting amount of complacency. We have huge numbers of people who would identify as white supremacists, but maybe deny using that language.”
The event is about making people more responsible and responsive to white supremacy.
“We can no longer say, at least this doesn’t happen here,” Jafry said. “It does happen here, it is happening here and it’s been happening here for a while.”
Brock University graduate Madi Fuller, another organizer, said it’s not just an American problem.
Far-right Soldiers of Odin were in downtown St. Catharines last year and have a presence in Niagara. And comments on social media show support for the altright, including by St. Catharines Niagara Regional Coun. Andy Petrowski who tweeted on Saturday at President Donald Trump writing, “Shame On Authorities 4 Dispersing The Right And Supporting Soros-Funded Antifa in Charlottesville.”
“Honestly, you can see who supports it, simply over Twitter, over Facebook,” Fuller said. “We have a Niagara councilman from St. Catharines that is proTrump and tweeted his support for it. So we’re not immune to it, I’ve known that for years.”
She said the rally will feature speakers as well as a drum circle from the Indigenous community to honour the Charlottesville victims.
“I hope that everyone can leave kind of empowered to go back to their workplace, or their school or their friend group and stand up against either very blatant acts of racism or very little acts,” Fuller said.
“I hope that it’s a positive event obviously to honour the victims, but at the end of the day to make sure we’re moving forward in the right direction.”
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik, in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, tweeted out Tuesday that he’s asked the flags
As I have said many times before, there is no room for intolerance or racism in our city and we cannot let any type of hatred take root. I am proud to see our community standing up against racism and I hope you will stand with us.” St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik
at city hall be lowered to half staff for the vigil.
“As I have said many times before, there is no room for intolerance or racism in our city and we cannot let any type of hatred take root,” he wrote. “I am proud to see our community standing up against racism and I hope you will stand with us.”
Sendzik wrote we are fortunate to live in a city and country that embraces diversity in all its forms.
“As we work together to build a brighter future we must continue to accept our differences, embrace our diversity and build a culture of compassion and understanding.”