The City of Richmond and the RCMP have once more joined forces to condemn incidents of racism.
After another incident last weekend – where a white male targeted a Stop Asian Hate Rally on Sunday – the city’s mayor and police chief both issued statements to shout down racism in Richmond.
A week ago, a man appearing to be of Asian ethnicity sprayed racist graffiti in Chinese over a poster of a black male model.
A news release issued Thursday by the city stated that “incidents of racism in any form will not and must not be tolerated. Such actions and behaviours must end.”
“Now is the time for everyone in our community to stand up against all forms of racism and hate, while we stay true to our shared values of respect, inclusion and diversity,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
“Richmond has a unique cultural history which is the envy of many cities. We need to recognize and embrace our cultural blend through respect and understanding.”
Richmond RCMP’s Chief Supt. Will Ng spoke of racism having a “devastating effect on the safety of our community and will not be tolerated.
“Recent events have demonstrated that anyone can be the target of hate. Richmond RCMP encourages victims to report all such incidents to police. Every hate incident will be fully investigated. Hate has no place here.”
The city and the RCMP says they are “committed to community safety through education, promoting cultural harmony, inclusion and eradicating hate.”
They have partnered on several education and awareness campaigns to proactively address racist attitudes and behaviours, especially those which may escalate to heated and sometimes violent confrontations.
Brodie and Ng said that members of the community must “immediately speak up when they witness racist actions, comments or behaviours, especially to protect the possible victim who should feel safe.”
They also encourage people to call the RCMP immediately to report incidents as soon as they occur rather than cause a delay by first turning to social media.
