Kingston residents react to anti-fascist poster spotted in midtown

An anti-fascist poster was spotted in midtown Kingston on Tuesday, posted on a street pole at the corner of Regent and Princess Street.

The poster includes a message about how to stand up against racism, intolerance and hate.

But what has some Kingston residents concerned is the message written at the bottom of the poster. It reads: “If you cannot convince a fascist…acquaint his head with the pavement.”

View image in full screen

Area residents like Jeffrey Smith say messages with violence have no place in the city.

“Hate will never drive out hate — only love will do that. Promoting violence to fight violence is only going to encourage more violence,” Smith said.

The poster refers to the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Va., where a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters rallying against a group of white nationalists. One person was killed and 19 injured.

The Kingston poster can be linked to anti-hate protests happening across the United States.

It’s not clear whether the poster was put up in other locations, but Kingston Police say they are aware of the poster and the Intelligence Unit is currently investigating.