The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a man who dressed up as a member of the Ku Klux Klan for Halloween. They know he's not a member of the actual Klan, they've been apprised of the fact that this took place on October 30 at a costume party, but they're still investigating, in case it violated Canadian hate speech laws.
OPP investigating KKK costume at Legion Halloween party that won 1st prizeBy: The Canadian Press
November 3, 2010
CAMPBELLFORD, Ont. - Ontario Provincial Police are investigating an incident at a Royal Canadian Legion involving a Ku Klux Klan Halloween costume.
A man dressed in a KKK robe led another man in blackface by a rope at the Legion Halloween party in Campbellford, Ont., on Saturday night, and the act won the first prize.
Const. Chris Dewsbury says the OPP investigation began after police received a complaint, and an officer was assigned to the case.
Dewsbury couldn't speculate on what, if any, charges would be laid.
The mayor of Trent Hills municipality called the incident "unfortunate" and "appalling," and says it's not an accurate reflection of Campbellford.
A black man at the party said he was "blown away" by the incident, and the Legion has reportedly issued an apology. (CJTN, The Canadian Press)
Campbellford, Ontario is a country town of about 30,000, almost entirely white. There is, therefore, no actual Klan activity, and the black man interviewed, who was present at the party, may have been the only one. The Canadian Legion is a veterans' organization, like the American Legion.
On a linguistic note, the reason the black man at the party is not called an African-American is that he's a Canadian. If this gets reported in the American press, they may mindlessly change that. They've done it before.
