FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT;
Email: info@hcci.ca
Telephone: 905-297-4694 ext. 202
Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion Announces Press Conference to Respond to Racism & Hate Groups in Hamilton, Ontario, & Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HAMILTON, ONTARIO – October 9, 2019– The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) will hold a news conference at 11 am. EST Wednesday, October 9th at City Hall Forecourt (71 Main St West) to announce a number of actions the organization is taking in order to address rising hate towards identifiable groups (people distinguished by color, race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability).
This year Statistics Canada released its hate crime report and noted that Hamilton has the highest number of hate crimes per 100,000 population at 17.1.[1] This past summer a group of organized protesters, including local “yellow-vest” members disrupted Pride Hamilton with violence that had a profound effect on many members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. [2] Most recently when the leader of the People’s Party of Canada, Maxine Bernier had an event at Mohawk College, violent clashes broke out.[3] In the midst of these hate filled incidents there hasn’t been a concise strategy from municipal and provincial governments to address this issue.
The Interim Executive Director for HCCI will provide a list of actions the organization has taken and will be undertaking to ensure racism and hatred are tackled head on in the City of Hamilton, the province of Ontario and in Canada.
We hereby formally invite all journalists, members of the press, and residents of Hamilton to this conference. Journalists and members of the press are encouraged to send confirmation of participation, along with their details.
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[1] Police-reported hate crime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Census Metropolitan Areas. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510019101
[2]2019 Pride Hamilton Event a Success Despite Protestors: Concerns Raised Over Safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ Hamiltonians https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/3f1d0c_377f7a0347f84e459b18244968ed2e35.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3r8Sh6VHdYAGkQXTXLABgH5u6a37qtpWP0Y5gDvCfhIVF1CkPjNqQpvCM
[3] Violent Clashes break out at Maxime Bernier event in Hamilton. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/mohawk-bernier-violent-clashes-1.5302342