Edmonton Sun, Nov, 2000

Racists disturb Alliance

Hate flyers pop up at U of A

By RACHEL EVANS, EDMONTON SUN


  The Canadian Alliance hopes voters have the wisdom to tell the difference
between them and an American white supremacist group distributing flyers at
the University of Alberta.

About a dozen posters promoting a U.S.-based group called the National
Alliance showed up on campus bulletin boards recently, disturbing Canada's
official Opposition on two fronts.

"It's unfortunate there are groups that do hate literature," said Canadian
Alliance campaign co-chairman Eric Young. "It's unfortunate they'd have a
similar name."

The posters quote members of the National Alliance as wanting to live in a
society made up only of "white" people.

Edmonton-Strathcona Canadian Alliance MP Rahim Jaffer congratulated the
students' union for its prompt removal of the offensive material and said
he's confident voters will distinguish between his party and the U.S. hate
group.

"I've never even heard of these guys before," Jaffer said. "I can't imagine
there would be confusion, first of all. I don't think it's a group that has
any real influence. If this is what they stand for, I don't think people
will give them the time of day."

Meanwhile, campus security is investigating who put up the racist posters,
and RCMP have been advised.

Stories in a student publication will ask students to alert their union or
campus security with any information about these posters or any others that
may show up.

"They're looking into tracking down who put them up," said students' union
vice-president Jen Wanke.

The students' union is also looking into filing a complaint with the Human
Rights and Citizenship Commission.

Human rights commission director Marie Riddle said she couldn't determine
whether the contents of the posters constituted hate literature under the
Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act without an investigation.

She said an investigation must start with a complaint against a specific
respondent in Alberta. No other Alberta universities and colleges reported
finding any similar flyers.

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