Silence cannot be our option
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- Published on Thursday, 17 August 2017 16:30
- Written by editor
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Silence cannot be our option
This weekend a horrific attack in Charlottesville, Virginia by a white nationalist left one dead and 19 injured.
Across the border, we cannot remain complacent.
We have seen a resurgence in white supremacist rhetoric here in Canada, including a despicable act of terrorism perpetrated at a Quebec City mosque earlier this year, which took the lives of six Muslim men.
This Saturday, here in Vancouver, we are faced with a continuance of this hateful rhetoric.
A group of people organizing under the “Worldwide Coalition Against Islam" plan to gather at Vancouver’s City Hall. An anti-racist rally organized by the group “Stand Up to Racism Metro Vancouver” is planned to counter the white supremacist protest.
Click here to read our short post about Saturday's protests in Vancouver.
Members of the BCCLA will be in attendance, and we encourage members of our community to speak back against ideologies that seek to dominate, oppress, and destroy people because of their race, religion, or identity.
Silence cannot be our option.
Those who promote hateful and racist ideologies could take muteness as indifference or even approval. We have seen how inaction has allowed hateful rhetoric to grow.
We will not stand by quietly as others speak hate. We too will exercise our right to protest. If you feel it is safe for you to do so, we welcome you to join us.
In solidarity,
Everyone at the BCCLA
