The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council is appalled by the racist drivel that was published by the Nanaimo Daily News in a Letter to the Editor March 27, 2013 entitled “Educate First Nations to be modern citizens.”
“We are under attack. And it is unacceptable,” said Tribal Council President Clifford Atleo Sr. “The public needs to know that racism is alive and well at the Nanaimo Daily News and nothing says this louder than the publication’s decision to give this letter writer a forum to spew his hate. It demonstrates a complete lack of leadership by this publisher, and it is well out of step with fair-minded people everywhere.”
See our photos from the rally today outside Nanaimo Daily News offices: http://www.hashilthsa.com/gallery/rally-against-racism-nanaimo-daily-news
“This is 2013, and we’re still dealing with this ignorance. It sickens me,” said Tribal Council Vice President Ken Watts. “The letter had no critical value. It did not advance greater understanding of First Nations issues. The decision to publish it was meant to offend. And we are offended. It was meant to insult, and we are insulted. It was meant to incite, and we have responded.”
Today we cut ties with this publisher by pulling our resources from it. Ha-Shilth-Sa, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council newspaper, has been printed by the Nanaimo press for longer than anyone here can remember. That ends today.
“We have clout, economic clout,” said President Atleo, “and we are prepared to use it. We have a strong interest in education, and part of that is making corrections where they are needed, including defending against the misinformation that the Nanaimo Daily News was so willing to publish, the ignorance they are willing to spread.”
“Our people are at a point where we are not going to put up with this anymore. We have a rich history, our teachings are alive in us. But the last 200 years of contact have been difficult for us. We have enough obstacles in our way to re-building our nations, and we do not have to support organizations and business who would throw more obstacles in our way.”
For further comment on this issue, please contact Clifford Atleo, Sr., president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council at 250-724-5757 or on his cell at 250-720-5336
