Another two rallies against racism and for racial harmony are set — one this Friday at noon at the Brighouse public library, the other Sunday at the Brighouse Canada Line station.
The first rally will be held in concert by 17 church groups within the city.
“We are deeply concerned about the divisiveness behind these flyers but know that they don’t represent the majority of the people in Richmond,” said organizer Rev. Victor Kim, Richmond Presbyterian Church.
The rallies are in response to two racist and anti-immigration flyers that target Chinese immigrants for driving up housing prices. One cited an “alt-right” website, linked to the white nationalist movement in the U.S.
Rally organizer Edward Liu stated the second rally is open to all, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.
“We firmly believe that xenophobic and discriminatory sentiments have no place in Canada. Canada became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as a national policy back in 1971. Richmond has been a multicultural community for many decades. First Nations, Europeans, Japanese and Chinese were all pioneers and forefathers in this city’s history. We are proud of the cultural richness of our heritage which has made Richmond a very special place,” said Liu.
Last week, a similar rally was held with a few dozen people in attendance, sporting Canadian flags and anti-racism messages on signs. Some complained that the rally itself was not inclusive enough as it was not well publicized among the whole community of Richmond.
The flyers have prompted the non-profit immigrant services group S.U.C.C.E.S.S to offer counselling services to anyone who feels distressed about racism in the community.
“S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is urging newcomers and immigrants who are feeling emotional distress as a result of experiencing or witnessing racism to contact S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ counselling services and/or the Chinese Help Line,” noted the organization.
“These flyers are in themselves a form of violence, primarily directed towards newcomers, immigrant communities and people of colour. They are hurtful to the overall community of Richmond and people of British Columbia,” it added.
The Stand Up for Racial Harmony rally takes place Sunday at 2 p.m.
