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Racist Flyers Circulate on Canadian University Campus

Racist flyers on York University

Credit: Tyler Anderson/National Post

Several racist flyers were distributed at Toronto-based York University on Wednesday, leaving students and school officials up in arms.

“Disturbed,” “appalled” and “unacceptable,” were just a few of the words that have been used as the students and faculty of York reacted to the racist flyers.

According to CP24, the flyers were posted on York’s Keele Street and Steeles Avenue campus. Some flyers were also put in the mailboxes of nearby homes where many students live.

The message of the flyers was clear and openly denounced the diversification of York’s student body.

Images of a group of all-white Canadian York students from back in the 1960s are pictured just above an image of a more recent, diverse group of York students.

The flier stated that back in 1968, “York University was nearly 100% White Canadian.”

The message continued, “Soon whites will be the minority.”

Students were troubled to see that the university’s logo had been used on the flyers, suggesting the school had an affiliation with the message.

In an email to CP24, however, the university made it clear that they do not support the message on the flyers.

“There were a few posters found and they were removed immediately,” a York spokesperson said in the email. “Official notification was sent to the group identified, telling those responsible to cease and desist using the York University logo and photographs.”

Flyers denounce immigrants, diverse student body at York

Source: CityNews

In a statement released on Thursday, the York Federation of Students also criticized the flyers.

“We are disturbed and appalled by these blatantly racist flyers,” the YFS Vice President of Equity, Mithilen Mathipalan, said in the statement. “The diversity of the York community is a source of strength and we will not tolerate any kind of hate speech that fosters an unsafe environment for students.”

He went on bash the flyers as being “pathetic” and said he was disappointed that such racist actions are still taking place in 2014.

Anita Bromberg, the executive director of the Canada Race Relations Foundation, talked to CP24 about the flyers.

“Playing the race card, playing on the worst fears, opening the doors to this kind of racism – it’s simply unacceptable,” Bromberg said.

A cease and desist letter has already been sent to Immigration Watch Canada, whose logo was also printed on the flyers.

The group told the university they did not print the flyers, although they do agree with the message.

CBC News reports that police are now involved in investigating the matter.

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