A Yellowknife community organization is raising concerns about anti-immigrant racism on Facebook.
In a Sunday press release, the newly formed Association of South Asians in Yellowknife, or ASAYK, condemned a recent anonymous post to a Yellowknife “rant and rave” Facebook group that called for a service “that rounds up illegal immigrants. Especially the ones from India.”
The organization called the post “blatantly racist, xenophobic and deeply harmful.”
“Such language has no place in Yellowknife or anywhere in Canada. It spreads hate, incites fear and targets an entire community based on ethnicity and origin,” ASAYK stated.
“South Asians are an integral part of the fabric of the North. Their contributions strengthen the community we all share.”
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Organization president Silal Shafqat said in a statement it was “deeply upsetting” that “something so openly hateful” was posted in a local forum.
“We call on all Yellowknifers to speak out against racism and to stand for a Yellowknife that is welcoming, respectful and safe for everyone,” he said.
Post no longer visible online
In its press release, ASAYK called on the moderators of the Facebook group to remove the post and enforce community standards prohibiting racism, hate speech and targeted harassment.
The anonymous post, of which ASAYK shared a screengrab, appears to have since been removed.
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The group, which has more than 24,000 members, does not currently list any rules for posting. Posts require approval from administrators to publicly appear, while comments do not.
A handful of people have recently posted to the group to express concerns about anonymous posts, with some citing racist remarks as an issue.
Cabin Radio contacted the group’s moderators for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Facebook’s guidelines
Meta has guidelines prohibiting hateful conduct on its Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms.
The social media company made controversial changes to those guidelines earlier this year, including removing some restrictions regarding discussion of immigration and gender.
The guidelines define hateful conduct as direct attacks against people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or serious disease.
Meta said it protects refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the “most severe attacks” but does allow commentary on and criticism of immigration policies. Meta also said its policies “allow room” for comments that call for exclusion or use insulting language when discussing “political or religious topics such as transgender rights, immigration or homosexuality.”
Meta’s oversight board has recommended that the social media giant assess the human rights impacts of the update to its hateful conduct policy, particularly potential adverse affects on Global Majority countries, LGBTQIA+ people and immigrants.
Meta did not respond to Cabin Radio’s request for comment.
ASAYK encouraged members of Yellowknife’s South Asian community and allies to join its first community gathering at the city’s visitor centre on Saturday, June 14, starting at 2pm, “to build connection, solidarity, and a strong Yellowknife together.”
