Neo-Nazi posters were spotted along the route of Vancouver’s 32nd annual AIDS Walk, according to an event organizer.
Neil Self, chair of the Positive Living Society of B.C., said the posters were spotted along the walk’s two-kilometre route around Stanley Park’s Lost Lagoon.
WATCH: The AIDS Walk to Thrive and Music Festival
“People think because of whatever our issue is – like, if we’re gay men or intravenous drug users – there is still that stigma saying you deserve that,” Self said. “And we encounter that every day.”
Self says there is a lot of misinformation that leads to discrimination against people with HIV and that an incident like this will not hold them back in the future.
“You have not affected us,” Self said. “We will continue our fight. We will continue the fight against HIV stigma. We will continue to rally our community and we will be a part of this community, regardless of what you have to say.”
Self said he has helped organize the walk for five years and has never seen anything like this before.
Organizers hoped this year’s event, which featured live music and drag performances, would raise over $200,000 for local AIDS charities and non-profits.
WATCH: The AIDS Walk to Thrive and Music Festival