Racist acts made headlines this week, but so did a few good deeds
While Donald Trump's win has led to a surge in racist incidents in the U.S., Canada's hasn't been immune. Xenophobic events reported across the country this week mirrored those happening in post-election America, proving, as The Globe and Mail's Hannah Sung put it, "when it comes to race specifically, ideas don’t stop at the border."
But there are bright spots. Some Canadians are stepping in when they witness racism or speaking up when they experience it. We've collected a few here. Racism won't be erased by a few kind words or good deeds, but it's encouraging, in dark moments, to also see some light.
Dark moment: Posters screaming "Step aside, whitey! The Chinese are taking over!" were delivered to homes in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond this week. The posters urged those who felt they are "marginalized in the community your forefathers built" and "have neighbours who refuse to speak your language" to join the alt-right movement, which espouses extreme socially conservative views, including white nationalism, and has gained momentum following Trump's win.
Similar posters were seen in a Toronto neighbourhood, inviting any "white person" with anti-multiculturalism sentiments to join the alt-right movement. Toronto Police launched an investigation and took some of the posters for analysis.
Bright spot: In the same Toronto neighbourhood, residents this week taped new posters to street light poles, reading "I 'heart' diversity" and "Dignity and respect for all."
Dark moment: A woman who runs a Jewish prayer centre in Ottawa woke up in the middle of the night Monday to find her door defaced with a swastika and an anti-Semitic slur. Anna Maranta quickly covered it with newspaper and reported it to police. "This is the first time I've ever had a really personal attack," she told the CBC. "It just feels very, very different."
Bright spot: A Montreal man who has spent five years removing racist graffiti for free got some well-deserved attention this week. Corey Fleischer, a professional graffiti remover, took it upon himself to scrub a swastika from the walls of a Saint-Laurent Boulevard kosher deli, not far from the home of poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen, who died earlier this month. Fleischer says he has the equipment and expertise, and that it's his duty to remove these types of hateful displays.
Dark moment: What began as a scuffle on a Toronto streetcar Monday night soon resulted in a stream of racial slurs. A white man accused a fellow passenger, who had brown skin, of punching him in the face. Witnesses said they did not see this happen. During the heated exchange, caught on camera, the white man told the other man to "go back to your f--king country" and said "these people think they have the right to assault us." He also referenced Trump.
Bright spot: A Toronto woman said she witnessed a heartwarming exchange on a subway last week: Passengers from all different cultural backgrounds helping a man who had a headache and was late for a job interview. They shared an Advil with him, a juice box, and encouraging words. "Now if THIS isn't the ultimate Canadian experience short of a beaver walking into a bar holding a jar of maple syrup, I don't know what is!" Salma Hamidi wrote in a Facebook post.
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