A Chinese social justice group is disappointed after a set of posters surrounding Canada’s colonialist history with anti-Chinese discrimination were damaged at a Toronto Public Library branch.
Over the weekend, 11 out of the 22 posters displayed along the windows of TPL’s Lillian H. Smith branch were ripped, TPL told Now Toronto on Tuesday. The posters were part of an exhibit by the Long Time No See Arts Collective, running from July 26 to Aug. 19.
According to the non-profit group, the documents are related to the 1923 Chinese Immigration (Exclusion) Act, which deemed people of Chinese descent “unsuitable for citizenship.” As a result, Chinese immigrants were denied entry into Canada for 24 years. It wasn’t until 1967 that the act was legally removed.
The posters were vandalized when the library was closed sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, TPL said.
“The posters were scheduled to be removed on Monday, Aug.19, 2024, and have now been taken down by members of Long Time No See, as originally planned. A police report has been filed,” TPL added.
In response, the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice says it is sad to hear about the posters being destroyed.
“…Although we do not know the motive behind this incident, as Canadians, no matter what colour or race, we try our best to build an inclusive community. Tearing down the work is the same as disrespecting the efforts behind. We encourage all to open our hearts to, and respect the difference of, every culture and race,” the organization said in a statement to Now.
On the other hand, Long Time No See Collective member Amy Shuang Wang says the group has no reason to believe it was a targeted act of vandalism because there was no racist or derogatory speech written on the defaced posters. In addition, the group understands the risks that come with posting street art in the city.
“We don’t have reason to believe that it was like a targeted act of anti-Asian racism. But, we’ll never know,” she said in an interview with Now.
“Because we’re a straight art collective, we want it to be outside. We want it to be close to people. The work itself, the actual physical pieces are not meant to be kept precious in a gallery like they’re specifically regular paper,” she continued.
Furthermore, Wang says this is the first time the group has experienced any large-scale damage to its work after doing this project five times in the past.
Despite this, the city says it does not condone any form of hatred towards public and welcoming spaces, such as libraries.
“The City of Toronto embraces the principle that diversity strengthens and enriches our communities socially, culturally and economically. The city does not tolerate the promotion of hatred or discrimination, and is committed to public spaces like libraries being welcoming places of respect and inclusion,” a city spokesperson said in a statement to Now.
The city goes on to suggest online resources to help support Torontonians and communities who have experienced hate incidents. This includes information on how to report hate crimes, supportive resources for communities, hate prevention and community safety funding, city policies related to hate, and lastly, best practices that promote community safety.
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The city also launched a campaign against anti-east Asian racism back in February of this year. However, its campaign made rounds on social media after users called the posters “racist and stereotypical.”
The city later defended its campaign saying it partnered with the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice to co-develop the ad with the support and guidance of a community advisory council.
City spokesperson Shane Gerard also told Now Toronto that the city worked with 11 community groups in 2023 to “better understand issues faced by East Asian communities in Toronto and co-develop campaign materials based on their experiences and feedback.”
