4 Other News

the Other Press

Febuary >, 1995

SSS

Vancouver Says No to Racism

Speaking Out against racism. A speaker takes the stand.

Photos: Darren Smilie

by Chris McClaren

The Vancouver ArtGallery was the site ofa peaceful anti-racism rally organized by the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism (BCOFR) on Friday, January 22.

Asmanyas3,000demonstrators gathered toshow their supportin the fightagainstracism and todenounce Tom Metzger and the white supremacist organization W.A.R. (White Aryan Resistance).

Thecrowd, many boasting anti- neo-Nazi and anti-racism signs, weathered thecold while listening to several speakers and music from a couple of local musicians.

“T want to call on all Canadians to open our eyes and our ears to the sicknessinour society thatis racism,” said Vancouver East MP Margaret Mitchell. “We want no more cross- burning and we should also be shutting down the hate net radio station.”

Mitchell was refering to the Liberty Net telephone service people have been using to spread racistand homophobic messages.

Fraser Valley West MP Robert Wenman appealed to Canada as a nation to set a precedent for cultural tolerance.

“Itdoesn’t matter whether your

3000 Demonstrators gather to denounce white supremascists

ancestors come from Japan or India or from Europe. Canada hasa special responsibility to demonstrate the kind of tolerance, the kind of love and caring that in fact is pulling the world apart everywhere in almost every country,” said Wenman.

Victor Wong, President of the Vancouver Association of Chinese Canadians said, “We must be vigilant in fighting hatred. We must learn from the past.”

Ian Weniger, an anti-racism demonstrator, said he was he was very encouraged by the turnoutand elated by the lack of a neo-Nazi presence.

“It’s fabulous. We took the political space of the Nazis and had them run off to what is essentially a suburban carpark. That was the emphasis of this rally. to stop them from organizing publically,” said Weniger.

Manyother organizations were present at the rally, such as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the First United Church, the United Front Against Racism, the Freedom Socialist Party and the Iranian Immigrant and Refugee Society.

Metzger Hunted by Anti Racism Demonstrators

300 Demonstrators storm the Century Plaza Hotel and clash with police while Nazis are escorted out the back door by hotel staff.

by Christopher MacLaren

A mob of approximately 300 angry anti-Nazi demonstrators met alineof Vancouver policeatthe front door of the Century Plaza Hotel following an anti-racism rally downtown on Friday, January 22.

The demonstrators converged on the hotel after word spread that Tom Metzger (White Aryan Resistance) and several members of the Liberty Net would be meeting there.

The crowd clashed with police several times trying to enter the hotel shouting slogans like“WewantTom” and “Hey, ho, Nazi scum has got to

Hotel staff and police assisted the Liberty Netinleaving the premises

throughthebackexit of the building.

The vigilant crowd persisted despite assurances from the police that Metzger was not in the hotel and all Liberty Net members had left.

Someofthedemonstrators tried to encourage the crowd to not “use the Nazis’ methods “ and return to the Art Gallery.

Two males were arrested after throwing a rock through the glass frontdoor ofthe hotel. Anemployee was taken to the hospital with an oy .

Vancouver police were prepared for situation and had a planinplacewhichincludedasquad in riot gear situated a block away

from the hotel.

Constable Reg Harris, spokesman for the Vancouver Police Deptartment, said prior to the rally, “We are aware that there is a rally tomorrow,and wehaveacontin planinplaceiftheneed shouldarise.”

An anti-racist skinhead denounced the term “skinhead” being identified with neo-Nazis.

“Racism had nothing todo with the original skinhead scene which came out of England in the late Sixties,” said the demonstrator. “1 want to show that there are still the original guys around and we're not going to give it up to a bunch of boneheads. I just want to show that there are people out there who are not Nazis but are still skinheads.”