Toronto police are investigating more than a dozen posters found in an east-end neighbourhood that read 鈥淗ey, white person,鈥� and list a number of racist and anti-immigrant sentiments, along with links to websites that promote white nationalism and Donald Trump.
Ian Affern says he and a fellow parent were startled by the posters they saw on school property in the East York neighbourhood Monday morning. They ripped a few of them down, he said.
鈥淭his is garbage to see in Toronto,鈥� Affern said.
City councillor Janet Davis said she believes the election of Donald Trump has 鈥済iven legitimacy to those extreme right voices again and it鈥檚 shocking that it鈥檚 happening here in Toronto.鈥�
The City of Toronto deployed staff to remove the posters while police encouraged the public to contact them if they have any information on who may have put them up. Police said it was not yet clear whether any law had been broken.
The posters state a number of questions including, 鈥淭ired of political correctness?鈥� and 鈥淲ondering why only white countries have to become 鈥榤ulticultural鈥�?鈥�
The posters suggest white people should 鈥淛oin the Alt-right.鈥� The alt-right, or 鈥渁lternative right鈥� generally refers to a movement of U.S. conservatives who rejected the mainstream Republican Party鈥檚 views in favour of white nationalism and anti-immigration.
The website Breitbart.com published what has been called an alt-right manifesto in March. It states that the accusations about it being 鈥渓ittle more than a vehicle for the worst dregs of human society: anti-Semites, white supremacists, and other members of the Stormfront set (are) wrong.鈥�
The movement is strongly supportive of Donald Trump. Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon, who has been accused of racism and anti-Semitism, has been appointed the president-elect鈥檚 chief strategist.
With files from CTV Toronto
