Leonard Krog, the Mayor of Nanaimo expressed ‘sincere disappointment’ towards the circumstances that caused an anti-racism rally in Nanaimo to be postponed.
“We stand with the organizers who are regrouping and reviewing how to best move forward with a future Anti-Racism Car Rally in Nanaimo.” He then encouraged that anyone reading his statement visit the Resilience BC website.
The organizers of the weekend car rally in Nanaimo and Ladysmith decided to postpone the event due to threats of physical violence.
“Anti-racism rallies are not “Anti-White” rallies.” Krog continued. “As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ stated in his “No Place for Racism” speech in 2020, ‘racism is a persistent scourge of our world. People’s opportunities for education and employment, and their access to healthcare and justice, are often determined by their race.’ As a society, we must accept that unfortunately, even in 2021, racism exists.”
Krog says that “in order to have a future free from racism and hate, we must learn and take actionable steps to end both racism and hate.”
The rally was meant to start at the Vancouver Island University parking lot at 1:00 this Sunday, and make its way to Ladysmith.
