A sign seen at a bus stop in Port Coquitlam, Canada, encouraging White mothers to join a group where their children "can play with others that look like them" has sparked outrage.
Social media user Doug Aoki shared a photo of the sign, which read:
"Join us Whites-only Moms & Tots."
"Are you looking for somewhere your children can play with others that look like them?"
"Are they tired of being a minority in their schools or daycares? Escape forced 'diversity' and join other proud parents of European children as we create an atmosphere in which our kids can feel like they belong."
"Invest in your child's sense of well-being and racial identity by giving them the gift of time spent amongst their own people - because they deserve it."
At a bus stop in Port Coquitlam.— Doug Aoki (@Doug Aoki) 1695597150
Here is a screenshot of the sign.
@Nantanreikan/X
The racist advertisement caught the attention of The City of Port Coquitlam, which condemned the vile message in a post on X (formerly Twitter.)
They wrote:
"The City received report of a hate-motivated poster posted in the community."
"The City condemns this in the strongest terms and promotes an environment without hate."
The City received report of a hate-motivated poster posted in the community. The City condemns this in the strongest terms and promotes an environment without hate.\n\nFull statement: https://t.co/rW7TtnS6Yi— City of Port Coquitlam (@City of Port Coquitlam) 1695665890
The city additionally wrote a statement on its website in which Mayor Brad West said:
“As soon as it was brought to our attention, Bylaw officers immediately searched the area and all bus stops in the surrounding area, to remove the posters but no signs were present."
"Perhaps, it was removed by someone else in the community."
West continued to make clear that such acts of hatred were not welcome in the city.
“This vile garbage isn’t welcome in our community, or anywhere else."
"We strive and continue to work on building the bonds of our community and breaking down barriers, promoting all the diversity our city has.”
Social media users were both shocked and disgusted that someone had the audacity to create the sign in the first place.
@Nantanreikan @MoriartyLab Sickening.— Christopher Juras (@Christopher Juras) 1695603577
@Nantanreikan What decade are we in?— Mitch \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@Mitch \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1695600454
@Nantanreikan This is beyond the pale. We seem to be regressing as a society, or perhaps it is just that the racists feel empowered, by some that are in power.— MondoAB (@MondoAB) 1695605428
@Nantanreikan Hopefully someone tore that sign down and tossed it in the trash. It\u2019s where its racism belongs.— Cheryl Little \ud83d\udd4a \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6resistor, I stand with \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Cheryl Little \ud83d\udd4a \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6resistor, I stand with \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1695663336
@Nantanreikan This is totally wrong and should be illegal. It\u2019s 2023; we should have moved past this now.— Erie Siobhan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Erie Siobhan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1695678347
@Nantanreikan So let me see whether I understand correctly. In a society that is increasingly multicultural and multiracial, here are some parents who see isolating their kids in non-diversified "play pods" as a good learning experience.— Mark Wiz (@Mark Wiz) 1695844102
@Nantanreikan This is utterly disgusting! The whataboutisms are equally so.— Mr. B-Chat (@Mr. B-Chat) 1695767336
@Nantanreikan WHAT THE! Holy smokes...I bet they are real good Christian Church goers too. The hypocrisy is incredible.— Janet (@Janet) 1695837907
@Nantanreikan the fact that the racists feel secure in operating out in the open is extremely problematic— Nancy Elliot \ud83c\udf3b (@Nancy Elliot \ud83c\udf3b) 1695665707
@Nantanreikan This is gross.— \u1d36\u1d49\u207f\u207f \u05e7\u02b0\u1da6\u02e1\u1d52\u1d50\u1d43\u1d57\u02b0\u1da6\u1d9c \u02e2\u1d60\u1d58\u1da6\u02b3\u02b3\u1d49\u02e1\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u05e7\u1d41\u1d3a\u1d9c\u1d34 \u1d3a\u1d2c\u1dbb\u1d35\u02e2 \ud80c\udd8f (@\u1d36\u1d49\u207f\u207f \u05e7\u02b0\u1da6\u02e1\u1d52\u1d50\u1d43\u1d57\u02b0\u1da6\u1d9c \u02e2\u1d60\u1d58\u1da6\u02b3\u02b3\u1d49\u02e1\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u05e7\u1d41\u1d3a\u1d9c\u1d34 \u1d3a\u1d2c\u1dbb\u1d35\u02e2 \ud80c\udd8f) 1695683403
The City of Port Coquitlam continued to emphasize that it "condemns this in the strongest terms" and that it strives to promote an "environment without hate."
They also suggested residents noticing similar messages of hate in the future contact the Coquitlam RCMP.