VANCOUVER — Vancouver City Councillor Lenny Zhou has come under fire for appearing to accuse his non-ABC colleagues of being drug users and dealers in a video posted to Chinese social media site WeChat over the weekend.Following backlash, he deleted the clip and apologized for his comments.In the video, Zhou told Vancouver's Chinese community (in Mandarin) to show up to City Hall on Wednesday and oppose a motion on social housing. He described Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who introduced the motion, as "extreme," and warned that she sough to build "drug houses.""I can also tell everybody that the non-ABC councillor is themself a drug user," Zhou continued, not naming anyone in particular. "Before Christmas, they openly dispensed drugs on the streets."Bligh and her fellow non-ABC councillors Sean Orr, Pete Fry, and Lucy Maloney held a press conference on Tuesday after Zhou's comments were discovered.."This video has now been shared thousands of times online," Bligh said. "That scale matters. When statements like this spread widely, they shape how people understand city policy and how they view elected officials."She described Zhou's allegations as "inflammatory."Her sentiments were shared by Fry."These are malicious falsehoods that are quite egregious," he said. "There is a very real and likely possibility that this could, if proven, constitute defamatory libel and it is very serious."Zhou issued an apology on Tuesday afternoon, admitting his remarks were "based on incorrect information.""I am proud to be a passionate advocate for engaging my community in civic dialogue," he added. "I will continue to fight for Vancouverites but in this case, I did not live up to the standards that I strive for."
