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91ƵOld white people91Ƶ reference in B.C. South Asian newspaper article sparks complaint

Group to file complaint with National NewsMedia Council about 91Ƶderogatory91Ƶ opinion piece
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Indo-Canadian VOICE office in Surrey. (Google maps screen shot)

A B.C. group called Keep the RCMP in Surrey says it is filing a formal complaint with the National NewsMedia Council against the Surrey-based Indo-Canadian VOICE newspaper for an opinion piece it published June 14, 2022 referring to a 91Ƶdisgraceful rowdy demonstration91Ƶ by 91Ƶa group of old white people.91Ƶ

91ƵAbsolutely we91Ƶre going to make a formal complaint,91Ƶ said Paul Daynes, a spokesman for KTRIS. 91ƵWhat it does is it refers in a derogatory way to an identifiable group within our community which we think is totally inappropriate and wrong and if it was applied to any other community group they would have equal grounds for feeling equally outraged.91Ƶ

The article appeared under the headline, 91ƵME THINKS! CBC report on McCallum91Ƶs feet not being visible on video footage is very interesting.91Ƶ

The NNC is a media watchdog based in Toronto, comprised of 15 directors and was established in 2015 to 91Ƶpromote ethical practices within the news media industry.91Ƶ It is an amalgamation of former press councils in B.C., Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and Ontario.

The sentence in the հ䷡91Ƶs piece the campaign is particularly concerned about reads: 91ƵThe disgraceful rowdy demonstration in Surrey City Council recently by a group of old white people supporting the RCMP vividly shows how low this group can stoop and just how desperate they are.91Ƶ

Rattan Mall, editor of the VOICE, said he wrote the opinion piece.

91ƵI91Ƶm just mentioning facts, that91Ƶs what the video showed. If they were brown people I would have written brown people. I don91Ƶt hesitate to write whatever it is. I mean when South Asians commit crimes I91Ƶm the first one to put up, 91ƵSouth Asian caught,91Ƶ91Ƶ Mall said.

91ƵI have no qualms about identifying them as South Asian or Vietnamese or white or whatever,91Ƶ he added. 91ƵIf it91Ƶs brown people I would have written that. I don91Ƶt hesitate to lash out at South Asians when they kind of misbehave or act like stupid guys.91Ƶ

91ƵI mean, if they91Ƶre white, they91Ƶre white, if they91Ƶre brown they91Ƶre brown.91Ƶ



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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