It was something of a surprise last week when Niagara Region chair Bob Gale announced his sudden resignation less than four months after being appointed by the Ontario government, but it was even more surprising when we found out why: He purchased a signed original copy of Adolf Hitler’s memoir and manifesto, Mein Kampf. Gale said he was a history buff, but anti-racism activists saw an entirely different explanation amidst the growing boldness of white supremacy in the region.

From a fight at the Stampede Ranch last weekend where racial slurs were allegedly uttered to an Aggie pub night at the University of Guelph in January where some students were allegedly wearing t-shirts with hate symbols and discriminatory slurs, and from a demonstration by white nationalists on a London overpass last fall to a similar gathering outside Hamilton city hall last month, there’s a startling trend of racist groups in Ontario feeling increasingly emboldened.

Niagara Region seems particularly susceptible to these groups and this year alone there have been a pair of incidents in Grimsby, including one outside a Tim Hortons, and also last Labour Day when there was a gathering of Second Sons at Brock’s Monument in Queenston Heights. Given what’s going on in communities around Niagara Region, is it easier to understand why people were concerned that the regional chair was the proud owner of a signed copy of Hitler’s book?

To talk about it, we’re joined by Saleh Wazirudden from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association who will talk about the state of fighting white supremacy in Niagara Region, why these groups are feeling so emboldened and why so many of them seem to be operating in the area. We will also talk about why Gale can’t hide behind his excuse of history enthusiasm, connecting the dots across Ontario, and what you should be on the look out for when it comes to white nationalist activity in your community.

So let’s get back into fighting white supremacy on this week’s Guelph Politicast!

You can learn more about the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association at their website, or you can follow them on social media @TheNRARA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. For other groups trying to raise awareness about white supremacy locally and in the rest of Canada you can check out No Hate in the Hammer out of Hamilton, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and, of course, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

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