Harsha Walia, the executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), claims she was taken out of context when she tweeted “Burn them all down” in response to torching Catholic churches across the country..Walia created a firestorm of controversy over the weekend when she made that tweet in a comment about a rash of church arsons sweeping across Alberta and BC..While she has refused all interview requests, a survivor of the Sixties Scoop who spoke to Walia Monday morning said she told her the text was taken out of context and blamed a “right-wing” news organization for doing so..“Whether it’s an excuse or not, I accepted what she had to say,” said Jenn Allan-Riley, a Sixties Scoop survivor and the daughter of a residential school survivor..“I explained to her that not all the churches, not all the denominations were involved in residential schools. So when she says ‘burn them all down’ that means the Pentecostal church, that means the Salvation Army church that’s done amazing work in Canada and had nothing to do with residential schools.”.The Sixties Scoop was a period in which a series of policies were enacted enabling child welfare authorities to take, or “scoop up,” indigenous children from their families for placement in foster homes, from which they would be adopted by white families..Allan-Riley said she told Walia as religious people the indigenous don’t recommend people destroying places of worship..“(Walia) thanked me for that teaching and that was it. Ms. Walia explained to me she was misquoted and it was taken out of context,” Allan-Riley said..“I’ve accepted what she has to offer, we’ll take that at face value.”.According to its website, the BCCLA fights in the courts for “equality rights in relation to mental health, disability, gender, youth, immigration, refugees, race, poverty, LGBTQ2S+ rights, and more. We know looking through an inter-sectional lens is the only way to fight inequality and injustice. We fight overt and systemic discrimination, and seek to promote fairness and equality in Canada.”.Attacking religious buildings is normally classified as a hate crime in Canada..B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth condemned Walia’s tweet..“I thought it was just disgusting and reprehensible that somebody who heads up an organization like that would make such comments,” he told Global..“It’s vile beyond belief, it does nothing to bring about reconciliation. All it does is create conflict and division.”.Walia, with a background as a community organizer, was appointed to her role in January, 2020..The Western Standard has reached out to the BCCLA for comment, but hasn’t heard back..A spree of arsons and other acts of destruction have been occurring against Christian churches, focused mostly on indigenous Catholic congregations. The acts range from petty vandalism to lighting fires in or around the churches, destroying many..As of publication, there have been at least 23 attacks against churches – including at least five completely destroyed by fires, at least three damaged by fires, and more than 15 vandalized to varying degrees..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
