Stickers from the self-described “identitarian” group ID Canada have been appearing on walls and windows across Symons Campus. ID Canada is an emerging alt-right group that calls to “defend” Canada against immigrants and promotes “traditional” values.
These stickers seem to have started showing up on campus during the week of February 6, but ID Canada posters have been distributed throughout downtown Peterborough in December and January. The Peterborough Examiner reported that these posters were condemned by Mayor Diane Therrien and Charmaine Magumbe, chair of the Community Race Relations Committee. However, the Peterborough Police did not consider them constitutive of a hate crime.
The stickers are circular and feature ID Canada’s red and black logo, the slogan “DEFEND CANADA” and the address for their website. The stickers are being posted on buildings around campus. There appeared to be more posted on windows on East Bank, but they have also been seen on walls and emergency call boxes, and on West Bank as well. The ID Canada website notes public schools in its list of where members should not put up posters. Trent University is a publicly-funded university.
You can help put a stop to the spread of hateful propaganda on campus and in Peterborough at large, and send a message that Trent students will not tolerate xenophobia and homophobia. If you see any of these stickers on campus or in the city, take a photo and note its location, and take it down or cover it up. You can also notify Campus Security, the Office of Student Affairs, and/or Physical Resources. Let Arthur know where you’ve seen these stickers—send tips to editors@trentarthur.ca.