The creators of the controversial “Scona White Student Alliance” Instagram page are preparing a class-action lawsuit against fellow students at Strathcona High School for uttering violent threats over its content, including a tirade condemning anti-racism discussions in the classroom and its “anti-white” rhetoric.
In their first post, they called for racial equality – for individuals to be judged by their actions and the content of their character. However, they also exclaimed “White lives matter” in the same post.
“We have been receiving many violent threats in the past few days, all of them in which have been documented,” said the group over Instagram.
“This is unacceptable, and some students with Strathcona high school will be held accountable for their actions. Our lawyers have been collecting all of this evidence and preparing for a class-action lawsuit. We demand Strathcona high school to deal with this issue or face prosecution.”
Edmonton’s public school division previously reported the “hate-filled” Instagram account to the city police for advocating for equal rights for whites while diminishing black equity efforts.
Strathcona high school took to Facebook to express their disdain of the “inappropriate, racist, hate-filled Instagram account.”
“There is zero tolerance for actions like this,” they said.
“We have heard from many of our Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students who feel unsafe and unwelcome at our school. This simply isn’t who we are, who we aspire to be, nor is it in keeping with our motto ‘as one who serves.’ As a community we will continue to work to ensure our school is welcoming for our Black, Indigenous and People of Colour students.”
Edmonton city police also responded to the page stating the page violates student social media policy, but would also follow up with the account through the EPS Hate Crimes Unit regarding their claims of violent threats.
Edmonton Public Schools Board Chair Trisha Estabrooks said the school and the division are taking the news of this account seriously, pointing towards the need for more anti-racism education.
“We can’t shy away from having these tough conversations in our classrooms, in our schools and our broader society,” said Estabrooks.
“This is an opportunity to have those tough conversations,” she said.
“This post shows to me how clearly needed these conversations are and how more work needs to be done.”
Dhaliwal is the Western Standard’s Edmonton based correspondent
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.