Hate crime unit investigating anti-interracial marriage posters circulating in Ontario's Waterloo Region
Chase Banger
CTVNewsKitchener.ca Digital Content Producer
Published Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11:24AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, June 24, 2020 2:48PM EDT
KITCHENER -- Flyers condemning interracial marriage have been circulating in Ontario's Waterloo Region, and police say their hate crime unit is getting involved.
A photo of one of the flyers surfaced on social media earlier this week. A photo at the top shows a white woman and a Black man smiling for the camera, but the text below alleges "negative consequences" of interracial marriage.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic called the material "repulsive and disgusting" in a response online.
"There is no place for this kind of hateful and hurtful propaganda in our community or any community for that matter," he said online.
"It makes me sad and angry that this kind of anti-Black racism is not only prevalent, but is being widely shared."
Vrbanovic said he had forwarded the posters to police, and asked for anyone who received one of them to come forward so that footage from security cameras nearby can be reviewed.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service says it is "aware of the flyers."
"Investigators and analysts with our General Detectives and Hate Crime units are investigating to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident, including identifying those responsible for disseminating the flyers," a spokesperson for the police told CTV in an email.
According to Canada Post, the flyers appear to have been delivered in stamped envelopes and sent as letter mail from a street letter box.
"By sending it in this manner, there would be no indication to Canada Post of the content," a statement from Canada Post reads in part.
"Had this item been deposited at our facilities as a direct mail piece, where we could view the flyer, it would have been reviewed and assessed before any further steps were taken."
Canada Post says it is working with local law enforcment to support the investigation.
The flyers were distributed amid a growing movement to end anti-Black racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in Minneapolis, after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In Kitchener, thousands of people attended a Black Lives Matter rallyfollowing Floyd's death, calling for an end to anti-Black racism and police brutality.
In a follow-up statement, police said they aren't sure how many of the flyers have been circulated.
They're asking anyone who has received one to contact them and to "limit their handling of the flyer to preserve any possible forensic evidence such as fingerprints."
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile...lating-in-ontario-s-waterloo-region-1.4997835
Chase Banger
CTVNewsKitchener.ca Digital Content Producer
Published Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11:24AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, June 24, 2020 2:48PM EDT
KITCHENER -- Flyers condemning interracial marriage have been circulating in Ontario's Waterloo Region, and police say their hate crime unit is getting involved.
A photo of one of the flyers surfaced on social media earlier this week. A photo at the top shows a white woman and a Black man smiling for the camera, but the text below alleges "negative consequences" of interracial marriage.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic called the material "repulsive and disgusting" in a response online.
"There is no place for this kind of hateful and hurtful propaganda in our community or any community for that matter," he said online.
"It makes me sad and angry that this kind of anti-Black racism is not only prevalent, but is being widely shared."
Vrbanovic said he had forwarded the posters to police, and asked for anyone who received one of them to come forward so that footage from security cameras nearby can be reviewed.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service says it is "aware of the flyers."
"Investigators and analysts with our General Detectives and Hate Crime units are investigating to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident, including identifying those responsible for disseminating the flyers," a spokesperson for the police told CTV in an email.
According to Canada Post, the flyers appear to have been delivered in stamped envelopes and sent as letter mail from a street letter box.
"By sending it in this manner, there would be no indication to Canada Post of the content," a statement from Canada Post reads in part.
"Had this item been deposited at our facilities as a direct mail piece, where we could view the flyer, it would have been reviewed and assessed before any further steps were taken."
Canada Post says it is working with local law enforcment to support the investigation.
The flyers were distributed amid a growing movement to end anti-Black racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in Minneapolis, after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In Kitchener, thousands of people attended a Black Lives Matter rallyfollowing Floyd's death, calling for an end to anti-Black racism and police brutality.
In a follow-up statement, police said they aren't sure how many of the flyers have been circulated.
They're asking anyone who has received one to contact them and to "limit their handling of the flyer to preserve any possible forensic evidence such as fingerprints."
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile...lating-in-ontario-s-waterloo-region-1.4997835