KKK costume at Canadian Legion Halloween party disgusts many
- Thread starter Avro
- Start date
It happened in Campbellford, not exactly the most multicultural place.
I wonder if Jack Layton will introduce a private members bills to criminalize blackface and kkk costumes? lol
I wonder if Jack Layton will introduce a private members bills to criminalize blackface and kkk costumes? lol
KKK was HUGE in Canadian west at one time. I wouldn't doubt they've held many a meeting in Legion Halls far and wide across AB, SK & MB.Quote: Originally Posted by EagleSmack
Well I'll be!
In Canada no less.
AND HE WAS AWARDED FIRST PRIZE!
Remember this thread the next time you want to point your fingers south with regards to racism.
Seems to me the KKK were in BC during the nineties. Made a big stink but disappeared from sight almost as fast as they appeared.
Alive and well in Regina.....
KKK revived, with strong Regina ties
Roughly 70 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan was one of the largest organizations in the province, with only the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool accounting for more members.
By Leader-Post
Roughly 70 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan was one of the largest organizations in the province, with only the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool accounting for more members.
Now, the controversial group aimed at asserting white pride claims to be once again growing in Saskatchewan.
Regina resident Christian Waters is a high-ranking officer with the Canadian branch of the Brotherhood of Klans (BOK), considered to be the largest Klan group in North America. Waters’ membership with the group was confirmed in an e-mail and phone call by Jeremy Parker, imperial wizard of the Ohio-based BOK.
Waters, who writes under an alias on the group’s Web site, claims that over the past two years, the BOK’s membership in Saskatchewan has gone from one (himself) to roughly 250 members, and around 3,500 Canada-wide. Of the Saskatchewan members, he said that while there is a strong base in Regina, many live in rural areas.
“It is actually growing faster than I would have ever predicted it to, which in some ways is alarming to me because it shows there is a lot of people who are getting real tired of what is going on in Canada,” he says in a face-to-face interview.
“As years have shown, the Klan has always surfaced in times of trouble, in times of people being very unhappy with their government, with what is going on around them.”
Waters became a member of the group six years ago, after spending time chatting with other BOK members online. The group’s concerns surround what its members deem as the “open door” immigration policy, which results in too many immigrants -- legal and illegal -- entering Canada and making it a “haven for terrorism,” says Waters.
What the group sees as unfair advantages provided to First Nations people, such as what Waters calls “free” education, government grants and employment and education positions reserved solely for minorities, also raises the ire of members. The group wants a level playing field, which Waters believes doesn’t exist.
“Through the multiculturalism of Canada, it seems the white race has been unfortunately the one race that has been shuffled underneath the carpet,” he explains.
“I ask, where is our white pride days?”
Waters claims he doesn’t have a problem with anyone who represents their race and culture with pride, but he says he does not always see that in the neighbourhood he lives in -- the Core area.
“Unfortunately it is the majority of one race that is making up the major majority of the problems with drug abuse and the penitentiary occupation in Saskatchewan. They say we’re not doing enough for them, we’re not giving them enough, we’re not this and that. Myself, as a middle-aged white Christian man, I look at it and think, ‘We’ve given them quite enough,’” he says.
Myke Agecoutay, tribal vice-chair of the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, says anyone who believes First Nations people receive any sort of special treatment is obviously not familiar with the social issues facing aboriginal people.
“We know our people live in Third World conditions. We know that our children have no food at home, our children don’t make it to school, our parents don’t have the proper life skills to raise their children. We know that reality is out there,” he said.
Agecoutay admits to being alarmed at the apparent increase in KKK membership and that First Nations people are considered a concerning issue for the group.
“The traditional image of a KKK member is not that of a peaceful front. It has a history of being violent and full of hatred, so that is always going to stick in the minds of anybody who hears the word ‘KKK’ -- that this is a group filled with hatred and racial tendencies throughout everything they do,” Agecoutay says.
Waters insists the BOK is a Christian-based organization that is not hate-based and does not tolerate violent or criminal acts. The BOK is not associated with skinhead or neo-Nazi groups, Waters says, adding that it is a “disgrace” to fly a Nazi flag.
“I take offence if someone calls me a racist because it is not racist to be in love with my race,” he says.
But Waters acknowledges the KKK has a violent past around the time of the civil rights movement, a period he believes falls far away from the group’s intentions when it was created in Tennessee in 1865 during the first era of the Klan.
“During the 1960s and the civil rights movement when unfortunately there was the lynchings of blacks and things like that, there was all sorts of groups popping up all over that would use the Klan’s name but weren’t necessarily functioning as the Klan ... There were a few bad apples that has cost us over 40-some years of misconceptions in the world,” says Waters.
Ron Bourgeault, a sociologist at the University of Regina, says he is not surprised to hear of a rising interest in the KKK in Saskatchewan.
“In fact, I’m wondering why it hasn’t been sooner,” he says.
Bourgeault suggests members of the group may be right-wing political supporters who have become disenchanted with the Conservative party, especially in rural areas.
“They see (the Conservatives) as gone too establishment, they no longer reflect their interests about Indians and immigrants and things like that. They would drift away and are probably being attracted to (Waters),” he says.
The KKK is known as the “invisible empire” because of the secrecy surrounding its members. Waters explains group members do have occasional private gatherings, but most of their interaction is through the Internet.
Waters says the group is considering holding a public rally, possibly as soon as this fall. If the rally was to be held, the imperial officers who would speak at the gathering would be cloaked in the white ceremonial robes and hoods, he says.
RCMP spokeswoman Heather Russell says no inquiries or complaints have been received about the group and nothing on BOK Canada’s Web site is considered illegal. If its members were to hold a public rally, it is expected the RCMP would monitor the event.
Bourgeault calls Waters “adventuristic,” adding that such an overt gathering may only result in further alienating people, not picking up support.
“He’s basically waving the flag and people will reject that. He’s not going to win a lot of converts; he may pick up a few disenchanted people who aren’t sophisticated,” Bourgeault explains.
“But people who ... may complain and gripe and be politically incorrect about Indian people ... will just turn around and say, ‘These guys are too extreme.’ They don’t reflect what is going on in a lot of peoples’ minds.”
The Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism’s Bob Hughes says views similar to those held by Waters have long been obvious in other people’s attitudes, but may be growing in light of the increasing focus on immigrants and First Nations people.
“It’s interesting that people have to hide around. Come on out if you’re proud of what you believe in. Speak out. Have a public meeting,” Hughes says.
In the U.S., the BOK promotes local political involvement for its members, which the Canadian branch may follow. Waters says the group plans to lobby government in the future regarding certain legislative changes, which may include tightening of immigration policies and stricter punishments for gun crimes and sexual offenders.
“We are going to prove to Canada and the Canadian people that we are going to achieve our agenda, but it is going to be through peaceful, law-abiding ways,” he says.
KKK revived, with strong Regina ties
Roughly 70 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan was one of the largest organizations in the province, with only the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool accounting for more members.
By Leader-Post
Roughly 70 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan was one of the largest organizations in the province, with only the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool accounting for more members.
Now, the controversial group aimed at asserting white pride claims to be once again growing in Saskatchewan.
Regina resident Christian Waters is a high-ranking officer with the Canadian branch of the Brotherhood of Klans (BOK), considered to be the largest Klan group in North America. Waters’ membership with the group was confirmed in an e-mail and phone call by Jeremy Parker, imperial wizard of the Ohio-based BOK.
Waters, who writes under an alias on the group’s Web site, claims that over the past two years, the BOK’s membership in Saskatchewan has gone from one (himself) to roughly 250 members, and around 3,500 Canada-wide. Of the Saskatchewan members, he said that while there is a strong base in Regina, many live in rural areas.
“It is actually growing faster than I would have ever predicted it to, which in some ways is alarming to me because it shows there is a lot of people who are getting real tired of what is going on in Canada,” he says in a face-to-face interview.
“As years have shown, the Klan has always surfaced in times of trouble, in times of people being very unhappy with their government, with what is going on around them.”
Waters became a member of the group six years ago, after spending time chatting with other BOK members online. The group’s concerns surround what its members deem as the “open door” immigration policy, which results in too many immigrants -- legal and illegal -- entering Canada and making it a “haven for terrorism,” says Waters.
What the group sees as unfair advantages provided to First Nations people, such as what Waters calls “free” education, government grants and employment and education positions reserved solely for minorities, also raises the ire of members. The group wants a level playing field, which Waters believes doesn’t exist.
“Through the multiculturalism of Canada, it seems the white race has been unfortunately the one race that has been shuffled underneath the carpet,” he explains.
“I ask, where is our white pride days?”
Waters claims he doesn’t have a problem with anyone who represents their race and culture with pride, but he says he does not always see that in the neighbourhood he lives in -- the Core area.
“Unfortunately it is the majority of one race that is making up the major majority of the problems with drug abuse and the penitentiary occupation in Saskatchewan. They say we’re not doing enough for them, we’re not giving them enough, we’re not this and that. Myself, as a middle-aged white Christian man, I look at it and think, ‘We’ve given them quite enough,’” he says.
Myke Agecoutay, tribal vice-chair of the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, says anyone who believes First Nations people receive any sort of special treatment is obviously not familiar with the social issues facing aboriginal people.
“We know our people live in Third World conditions. We know that our children have no food at home, our children don’t make it to school, our parents don’t have the proper life skills to raise their children. We know that reality is out there,” he said.
Agecoutay admits to being alarmed at the apparent increase in KKK membership and that First Nations people are considered a concerning issue for the group.
“The traditional image of a KKK member is not that of a peaceful front. It has a history of being violent and full of hatred, so that is always going to stick in the minds of anybody who hears the word ‘KKK’ -- that this is a group filled with hatred and racial tendencies throughout everything they do,” Agecoutay says.
Waters insists the BOK is a Christian-based organization that is not hate-based and does not tolerate violent or criminal acts. The BOK is not associated with skinhead or neo-Nazi groups, Waters says, adding that it is a “disgrace” to fly a Nazi flag.
“I take offence if someone calls me a racist because it is not racist to be in love with my race,” he says.
But Waters acknowledges the KKK has a violent past around the time of the civil rights movement, a period he believes falls far away from the group’s intentions when it was created in Tennessee in 1865 during the first era of the Klan.
“During the 1960s and the civil rights movement when unfortunately there was the lynchings of blacks and things like that, there was all sorts of groups popping up all over that would use the Klan’s name but weren’t necessarily functioning as the Klan ... There were a few bad apples that has cost us over 40-some years of misconceptions in the world,” says Waters.
Ron Bourgeault, a sociologist at the University of Regina, says he is not surprised to hear of a rising interest in the KKK in Saskatchewan.
“In fact, I’m wondering why it hasn’t been sooner,” he says.
Bourgeault suggests members of the group may be right-wing political supporters who have become disenchanted with the Conservative party, especially in rural areas.
“They see (the Conservatives) as gone too establishment, they no longer reflect their interests about Indians and immigrants and things like that. They would drift away and are probably being attracted to (Waters),” he says.
The KKK is known as the “invisible empire” because of the secrecy surrounding its members. Waters explains group members do have occasional private gatherings, but most of their interaction is through the Internet.
Waters says the group is considering holding a public rally, possibly as soon as this fall. If the rally was to be held, the imperial officers who would speak at the gathering would be cloaked in the white ceremonial robes and hoods, he says.
RCMP spokeswoman Heather Russell says no inquiries or complaints have been received about the group and nothing on BOK Canada’s Web site is considered illegal. If its members were to hold a public rally, it is expected the RCMP would monitor the event.
Bourgeault calls Waters “adventuristic,” adding that such an overt gathering may only result in further alienating people, not picking up support.
“He’s basically waving the flag and people will reject that. He’s not going to win a lot of converts; he may pick up a few disenchanted people who aren’t sophisticated,” Bourgeault explains.
“But people who ... may complain and gripe and be politically incorrect about Indian people ... will just turn around and say, ‘These guys are too extreme.’ They don’t reflect what is going on in a lot of peoples’ minds.”
The Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism’s Bob Hughes says views similar to those held by Waters have long been obvious in other people’s attitudes, but may be growing in light of the increasing focus on immigrants and First Nations people.
“It’s interesting that people have to hide around. Come on out if you’re proud of what you believe in. Speak out. Have a public meeting,” Hughes says.
In the U.S., the BOK promotes local political involvement for its members, which the Canadian branch may follow. Waters says the group plans to lobby government in the future regarding certain legislative changes, which may include tightening of immigration policies and stricter punishments for gun crimes and sexual offenders.
“We are going to prove to Canada and the Canadian people that we are going to achieve our agenda, but it is going to be through peaceful, law-abiding ways,” he says.
Ok Prax. LOL.
Complete racism. An you excuse this and brush it off? Wow.
Whenever this happens up there there are a certain number of ya'll that say...
"Oh this is not a problem. It was a joke. This is what happens down south but not here."
Sound familiar?
No... I was just pointing out the hypocrisy in some of you folks who think racism is a Yank thing only.
Yeah...good one.
Is the KKK any more obnoxious than these Neo Nazi skinheads? Or am I being politically incorrect? (not that I give a rat's ass) :lol:
I understand that.
Not really the point though.
This is a comment on bad taste and in this case bad taste won first prize.
Put yourself in the shoes of the lone black man as these two clowns paraded out.
Reminds of these two idiots at a habs game.
Too dumb or ignorant to understand that just maybe the player they support may find this offensive...but who cares right? Good for a few laughs.:roll:
I think they are one in the same.
Too dumb or ignorant to understand that just maybe the player they support may find this offensive...but who cares right? Good for a few laughs.:roll:
WHAAAAAAAAT!
What the heck is this all about? Why would they wear black face and afros to a hockey game! What the heck is going on?
The outfit and "theme" of what they were doing border lined on being racist and I certainly wouldn't think of dressing up like a KKK member, and I also pointed out that if they got their asses kicked for what they were doing, I wouldn't shed a tear...... I don't excuse them dressing up as KKK anymore then I excuse them getting jumped and beaten to a pulp.
And I personally believe it borders on being all-out racist and I can clearly see how some would think that's all that was meant by their outfits (simply to be racist)..... but because they also used the confederate flag as a part of their costume, it's not only focusing on a character from a particular country, but the history that comes with that particular character from that particular country.
And yes, KKK have existed in Canada and as some here are noting they still do exist here in some areas of the country..... but it's not a Canadian flag they were using and if there was no flag used, then I'd be right along with you expressing disgust that the only message they're passing along is the promotion of the KKK and racism, but I personally feel they were going for a different message..... But I'm also not saying their idea was ever a good one either.
No actually it doesn't sound familiar..... how about you provide a source to back up your claim, because I'm still not getting any flashbacks of anybody saying something like what you quoted.
Even if my view of their costume's message is accurate that they were trying to portray a US stereo-type, by using the flag and the other man dressed and acting the way he was, confines their costume to a particular era and I don't believe it was a direct attack on the US identity in somehow claiming everybody in the US is racist and a part of the KKK....... but when anybody thinks of the KKK, they generally think of the US's south, usually because the KKK originated in the US and thrived in the South...... hence the outfit, the flag and the other guy dressed the way he was.
"Some of You Folks?"
I'm still waiting for examples and identification of who in here ever made such a claim.
I'll admit that I've made claims in the past that racism is more common and has more free range in the US then in Canada, but I never once claimed racism doesn't exist in Canada.
I thought so.
From Dictionary. com
rac·ism
/ˈreɪ
sɪz
əm/
Show Spelled[rey-siz-uh
m]
Show IPA
–noun 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
There is nothing in this story that indicates these guys were racist. Insensitive? Tacky? Perhaps. I personally like "insensitive" if it twists the knickers of the politically correct crowd
rac·ism
/ˈreɪ
Show Spelled[rey-siz-uh
Show IPA –noun 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
There is nothing in this story that indicates these guys were racist. Insensitive? Tacky? Perhaps. I personally like "insensitive" if it twists the knickers of the politically correct crowd
Is symbology racist or is it the content it is used? If a Buddhists walks into a synagogue wearing his good luck swastika is he being rascist? Is it racist or wrong to make him take it off even though it has nothing to do with nazis and him just expressing his religious symbology??
It has everything to do with intent. That's the main point that folks seem to miss when stories like this surface. Are these guys suggesting that the races are different, one is inferior to the other or that they even support the ideas behind their characters....not that I have heard.
I never heard any complaints from hookers about a females dressing as hookers which are allegedly the bottom of the barrel socially.