A rally against racism and bigotry is planned for this weekend in Abbotsford in response to the recent distribution of hateful literature.
Plastic bags with Ku Klux Klan pamphlets were spread to dozens of east Abbotsford homes late on Saturday (Jan. 15) night.
The pamphlets disparaged civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is celebrated on Jan. 16 in the U.S.
Abbotsford resident Gurpreet Singh called the messaging “disturbing and offensive.”
As part of Radical Desi and in partnership with the Coalition Against Bigotry, Singh decided to organize a rally to counter the hateful rhetoric of the flyers.
He said it isn’t the first time they have held such a rally in Abbotsford.
Singh said it isn’t easy to organize such a rally but felt it was necessary after the most recent spread of racist literature.
The rally will include speeches by members of the Sikh group and a reformed neo-Nazi who now speaks out against racism, Singh said.
“We find this extremely offensive and need to raise our voice together against growing tide of bigotry due to divisive politics of populist leaders like Trump in North America,” states the event posting on Facebook.
The rally is planned to be held in the parking lot of the Abbotsford Heritage Sikh Temple at 33094 South Fraser Way.
The demonstration is planned to begin at 1 p.m., Sunday but organizers ask that attendees arrive by 12:30 p.m.
