Racist graffiti, election banner in and near Steinbach 'worrisome'

Racist graffiti, election banner in and near Steinbach 'worrisome'

'We just have to respect each other,' one council candidate in Manitoba city says

Phil Switalski was shocked to see racist and antisemitic graffiti during his daily dog walk in Steinbach.

Switalski takes his dog, Indy, to L.A. Barkman Park multiple times a day. He came across the graffiti on a park sidewalk Tuesday morning.

He called city hall, and the graffiti was later removed.

Also on Tuesday, Steinbach RCMP began investigating a racist election banner put up on a highway overpass north of Ste. Anne, which is north of Steinbach.

Switalski moved to Steinbach from Toronto in the spring. He says both the graffiti and banner are troublesome to see.

"It's worrisome, honestly," Switalski said during an interview at the park Wednesday afternoon.

"You think it's a small town, everyone's happy and gets along together, but there's undertones."

Hateful graffiti, election banner 'worrisome,' Steinbach man says

RCMP removed the banner from the Highway 12 overpass above the Trans-Canada Highway on Tuesday.

The banner read, "Steinbach votes white not brown," alluding to the Oct. 28 municipal election, and included the name of a white nationalist group, which CBC News is not naming.

City council candidate Greg Carlos said the banner is concerning.

Greg Carlos, who is running for Steinbach council, says a racist election banner and its sentiment are not representative of the city. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)

He emigrated from the Philippines and has lived in Steinbach for the past 21 years. He said he was very shocked to see the banner's message.

Carlos says he has not experienced racism while living in the southeastern city but now feels concerned for his safety, and for that of other minority groups.

Current council members have been supportive, Carlos said. He's also received many phone calls and messages giving him "assurance that this is not Steinbach."

"We just have to respect each other," he said. "We are all human beings. We have to treat each other right."

Another candidate, Mitesh Kumar, previously told CBC News that seeing photos of the banner online made him worried about his family's safety.

He said he believes residents will vote based on the issues candidates want to tackle, not their race.

Mitesh Kumar is also running for Steinbach council. He thinks residents will vote based on issues, not a candidate's colour. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)

"The main concern which I see in that sign is more about coming from a sort of an organized group," Kumar told CBC News on Tuesday.

One Hamilton, Ont.,-based anti-racist scholar says there has been a proliferation of white nationalist groups across Canada, with some more extreme than others.

Ameil Joseph calls the appearance of the banner a "worrying development." He also thinks racist posters or slogans popping up during election times has been a long-standing problem that isn't being prioritized enough.

Manitoba RCMP removed the highway banner Tuesday. (DreaGC/Reddit)

"The discourse of some of these groups wield a violent and dangerous premise," he said in a Zoom interview Wednesday.

"This is the idea that they're somehow being taken over and that people need to fight back. Fight is the language, and that is inherently violent."

RCMP investigating report of racist election banner near Steinbach, Man.

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Carlos said he's trying to remain positive and hopes that whoever made the banner was from outside the community.

"I know from the bottom of my heart — I know Steinbach's not like that," he said.

Jura McIlraith is a CBC Manitoba reporter based in Steinbach. She started her journalism career covering stories in the southeast for The Carillon. Since then, she has worked for multiple print publications including the Winnipeg Free Press and in radio for 680 CJOB. You can reach her at jura.mcilraith@cbc.ca.