Anti-hate event held in Hamilton amid rise in racist incidents

March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a United Nations effort to raise awareness and encourage people around the world to stand up to racism.

Here in Hamilton, that message is hitting close to home.

With the city dealing with recent hate incidents and concerns about extremist groups, a local event is focusing on what can be done.

“This day recognizes the injustices and prejudices fueled by racial discrimination taking place everyday,” said Marlene Dei-Amoah, board chair of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC).

Those conversations filled a room in downtown Hamilton today as HARRC brings people together for a day of discussion, learning and reflection.

The event marks March 21 as an international event, but the focus here is local.

In recent weeks, a hate-motivated gathering linked to a white supremacist group drew police attention outside city hall.

And over the past year, community groups have raised concerns about so-called “active clubs” — white nationalist groups organizing in and around Hamilton.

One group has been linked to the area — part of a broader movement that mixes fitness culture with extremist ideology.

“I heard, I saw the white supremacist march late one evening. I actually wanted to go out for a walk, a couple of my racialized friends and I. And it actually forced us to stay inside and we were actually physically worried about our physical safety,” said Dr. Anjali Menezes, Hamilton police citizen appointee.

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HARRC says it received 69 hate incident reports last year.

“Those were verbal assaults, that was harassment, hate symbols. And those increasing number of hate symbols in our community that we attribute to the rise of the kind of white supremacy activities that we see happening throughout the city,” said Lyndon George, HARRC executive director.

George says today’s symposium is taking a close look at this kind of targeted hate, and how to address it together with community partners and civic leaders.

“Everybody has a role and there’s a place for everybody that wants to be allies and wants to disrupt hate in the City of Hamilton,” said Dei-Amoah.

Inside, speakers are sharing lived experiences and breaking down how racism shows up in everyday life.

“There’s always been bigotry and racism but the way it catches fire, the way it sort of is market tested in these small corners of the internet before going mass — that’s really important for people to understand,” said award-winning CNN journalist Elle Reeve.

Reeve spoke with CHCH News yesterday and is joining several other speakers, including Dr. Jeremy Cohen from McMaster University — who’s speaking about rising forms of discrimination, including holocaust denial.

“It is an important part of this conversation and something that I am even noticing and witnessing in my day-to-day life and in my interactions — seeing posters on these streets, seeing racist graffiti, seeing the material effects of the rise of hatred both online and in the real world,” said Dr. Cohen.

Local residents say it is important to move beyond awareness and into action, beyond March 21.

One of today’s attendees, Jessica Chase, director of Children’s & Community Services for the City of Hamilton says a report focusing on community safety, particularly in hate and violence prevention, will be presented to city council on March 26.

They’re also preparing a report advancing a new anti-racism community liaison group which will be ready in early May.

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