Toronto (June 9, 2020) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has been in communication with police in Saanich, B.C. after a local high school’s online yearbook was recently targeted with hateful messages.

Saanich police have confirmed that the messages, including “Never forget Jews did 9/11” and “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right,” were posted anonymously on some Mount Douglas Secondary students’ pages. The yearbook has since been taken down and investigations by both police and the school are underway.

“In the face of an ongoing pandemic and anti-racism protests, we are extremely saddened to see such a positive effort in bringing a student community together be overtaken by hatred,” said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, FSWC’s Director of the Campaign Against Antisemitism. “This is a good learning opportunity for the students to understand the impact of hatred and intolerance and the importance of being vigilant and standing up against all forms of racism. We are pleased to see the police, school and school board taking this issue seriously and working to find the perpetrator of this horrible offence.”

FSWC has also reached out to Greater Victoria School District offering help in the form of programs and resources that educate students about the history of the Holocaust and other human rights tragedies, contemporary examples of hate as well as tools they can use to effect positive change in their schools and communities.

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