A Brantford parent said she was appalled when her child discovered a “White Lives Matter” sticker posted on school property outside North Park Collegiate.
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The parent, who didn’t want to be identified, said her child, a student at the school, discovered the sticker early last week stuck to a post at an entranceway to the school.
“I told her to take a photo of it and I’d send it to the principal,” she said.
The Anti-Defamation League defines “white lives matter” as “a white supremacist phrase that originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which arose to protest against police brutality against African Americans.” The phrase has become “a staple among white supremacist mantras,” league officials say.
“We’re white and it’s so offensive,” said the parent. “Can you imagine a kid who’s not white seeing that?”
After the parent posted about the incident on a social media group, other parents of North Park students shared similar experiences. One person said their child saw a “Make Children White” sign that included a URL code posted at a crosswalk outside the school, and another said their 16-year-old son found a similar sign stuck on the bus shelter at North Park and Fairview streets, near the school.
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The Grand Erie District School Board released a statement on Friday, saying “as soon as this was brought to our attention, the school took swift action to remove the sticker and school staff have also inspected and removed stickers from the nearby bus shelter.”
“Hate crime in Grand Erie is not acceptable,” said the statement. “We want our schools and facilities to be a place of belonging, welcoming and inclusive for all students and staff. We have notified police of the incident and will continue to monitor.”
The parent said they’re hopeful cameras set up outside the school can be used to identify those posting offensive signage.
- with files from Postmedia
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