Racist killings in Buffalo: ‘Canada is not immune’, say activists

Ten people have been killed in a shooting by a white supremacist in Buffalo, which is very close to the border with Canada.

Canada is not immune to these crimessaid Velma Morgan, president ofOperation Black Vote Canadato The Canadian News on Monday.

Referring to a Statistics Canada report, which indicates that hate crimes against Black Canadians have increased by 96% during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Morgan says Canadians should absolutely be concerned about such statistics.

We need to start doing things to prevent this kind of behavior hereMs. Morgan said.

Horrifying

Just to think that on a Saturday people shop, like we all do on a Saturday morning […]. And to think that they were shot, killed just because they were black. It’s just horrifyingshe said.

Amanda Bartley, human behavior researcher and board member of Family Service Torontoasserts that black people go through a new trauma every time there is an attack like Buffalo’s.

It’s super traumatic to see your people shot down and murdered, whether at the hands of a civilian or even the police.she says.

According to Ms. Bartley, Canadian leaders must denounce white supremacy […] and be much more proactive in addressing hate crimes and far-right violence before they even happen.

It feels like [les dirigeants s’arrêtent] before saying we have a white supremacy problemdid she say.

Birgit Umaigba, an intensive care nurse from Toronto, railed against a tweet from Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister for Environment and Climate Change, who said she felt very lucky to live in Canada – a diverse and tolerant country that values ​​freedom while respecting human rights. This Tweet was referring to the Buffalo shooting.

It was very painful to read because it was so void of any empathy for the people who had just lost their lives.said Ms. Umaigba.

I’m not sure what Canada she’s talking about, because for me and people like me, racism is everyday. Canada has this notion of always being so tolerant and welcoming. We are diverse, but […] racism is daily here, the institutions are imbued with so much racism.

She too says that Canadians should be worried.

There are so many examples, the London ramming attack [entre autres] : a white supremacist ran into an entire Muslim family and killed themsaid Ms. Umaigba.

Quebec City Mosque Shooting Happened Five Years Ago, So What [parle-t-elle]?

People are waving Confederate flags outside their homes right nowshe said, referring to an incident in Hamilton.

According to Ms. Umaigba, it is not just black people’s responsibility to fight racism.

We need white people to be involved. We suffer because of it. Yes, there are some good ones. I’m not saying all white people are racist, but we need the good guys, the allies, the co-conspirators, to step up and get the job done.she said.

hate is taught

Amie Archibald-Varley lives in Binbrook, a community in southeast Hamilton about 90 kilometers from Buffalo.

Like Ms Umaigba, Ms Archibald-Varley says that white people have work to do too and encourages white people to talk about the shooting with their colleagues, spouses and children.

Hate is not something innate, it is learned, it is taughtshe said.

For Ms. Archibald-Varley, incidents like the Buffalo shooting leave black communities hurt and traumatized.

I just want to go to the grocery store and not have to deal with this shit. It’s crazyshe says.

It’s not just an American problem. It’s a problem here in Canada as well. […] It could have been any of us black people.

According to her, the whole community must unite against racism.

We cannot continue to see these same things happen without stronger laws, stronger policies, without the solidarity of other members of the community.said Ms. Archibald-Varley.

As a community we are hurt, we are broken, we are afraid, but we are strongshe added.

We’ve seen the damage and the hurt [causés] by systemic racism for years, but we are still here and we will continue to fight for change that calls for accountability. […] We mourn together, but we are also strong together.