Hate and white supremacy are poisons that flow across borders

The deadly impacts of anti-Black racism witnessed in the United States are reverberating in Canada
 
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims in the mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket this past weekend.
 
Hate-motivated terrorism in the United States reverberates across Canada, including among Black communities which continue to struggle and confront anti-Black racism in all facets of life. There is a long history of anti-Black racism in Canada, which includes a shameful legacy of slavery, racist policies and racist treatment.
 
This hatred is not only a threat against people’s safety and well-being, but prevents the full participation of Black and racialized communities in the economic, social, and political spheres of our society. 
 
Various offshoots of white supremacist ideology also include the Great Replacement Theory, quoted by the Buffalo terrorist. This is a conspiracy theory which suggests that racialized people, immigrants, and members of religious minorities are going to replace the non-racialized populations in Western countries in terms of presence and political power. 
 
Preventing these harmful narratives from radicalizing more young people will require investments in education, deradicalization programs, and legislation to address the proliferation of online hate. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies must do more to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions and to provide stronger supports to targeted communities and victims.
 
The CRRF will continue to engage and support communities across Canada in the struggle against racism and hate and towards meaningful policy change. We must work collectively to help foster a brighter future where no one will ever have to explain again to their children why someone would pull up to a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighbourhood and shoot to kill.