Fredericton’s mayor has apologized for comments that she says minimized the harm caused by a weekend protest against vaccine mandates that included anti-Semitic and white supremacist symbols.
Kate Rogers wrote on Twitter Wednesday that when she earlier described the protest as peaceful, she meant that it was contained without the use of force.
Rogers says she is “disgusted that antisemitic and white supremacist symbols were used,” and says they have no place in the city or civil society.
On Tuesday, Manju Varma, the province’s commissioner on systemic racism, referred to the examples of racist symbolism as “acts of violence.”
Varma said governments must at all times be anti-racist, and to claim neutrality is to be racist.
Premier Blaine Higgs issued a statement Wednesday saying protest actions that promote hate or violence or target specific groups are unacceptable.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.