Carleton has removed posters from the Canadian chapter of an international anti-immigration group after they were spotted on campus on Sept. 11.
The posters were part of a recruiting effort by Generation Identity. The group defines itself as an “Ethno-Nationalist and Identitarian youth movement” that aims to “re-instill traditional western values” in Canada by advocating against immigration from non-European countries, according to its website.
Carleton students shared photos of the posters on Twitter and alerted the university.
“Thanks for letting us know. We’ve spotted the posters and are removing them. Carleton has zero tolerance for posters like these,” the Carleton Newsroom account tweeted.
The university released a joint statement with the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and Carleton Undergraduate Students’ Association (CUSA) on Sept. 11, thanking people who notified the administration and removed the posters. The statement said that there has been a recent increase in hateful messages in posters on campus, but did not elaborate.
“The group [Generation Identity] sponsoring the posters promotes negative attitudes toward multiculturalism, immigrants, minorities and immigration,” it said.
Jenna Amirault, the vice-president (external) for the GSA, said in the statement that the association acknowledges that campuses are not immune to racism and xenophobia, but added that Carleton students have a long history of standing up to hate at the university.
“We encourage students to get involved with their students’ union and take action against racism and other forms of oppression,” she said.
While people on Twitter said similar posters were also on the University of Ottawa’s (U of O) campus, Néomie Duval, the manager of media relations at the university, said in an email that the administration did not find any Generation Identity posters on its campus.
Zameer Masjedee, CUSA president, also emphasized the value of Carleton’s diversity and condemned “any and all hate groups” on behalf of the association in the statement.
“It is a campus where every student should feel safe and at home in any given moment,” he said.
Alastair Summerlee, Carleton’s interim president and vice-chancellor, said in the release that the posters had no place at Carleton, an environment that he said promotes positive values such as community, inclusiveness and safety.
“Our university is about respect and valuing the diversity that contributes so much to the academic experience we provide to our students,” Summerlee said.
The Charlatan attempted to contact media relations at Carleton but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Photo screenshot from @kirkitzul
