Anti-racist group on petition drive

RACAR, the Riverdale Action Committee Against Racism, is running a series of petition blitzes in the Riverdale community in the next month.

The object of the petitioning is to talk to Riverdale residents and inform them of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and of the existence of the RACAR, to offer support, and to ask them to sign the petition condemning the activities of the Klan.

Canvassers will also be looking for information that people can give them about where and how the Klan has been active in the area, so that counter-action can be taken. (For example, RACAR passes out its own anti-racism literature on streets where the Klan has distributed hate literature).

The dates of the petitioning will be Sunday April 26 (meet at the Ralph Thornton Centre, 765 Queen E. at 1 p.m.) Sunday May 10, Sunday May 17, and Sunday May 24. Everyone is encouraged to come out and help.

Call RACAR at 469-3659 or 461-9857.

Petitioning to date has been very successful, with about an 88 per cent positive response, with most of those refusing to sign doing so because they don’t understand or “can’t be bothered”, rather than because they actually support the racist activities of the Klan.

In addition to the petitioning, RACAR is also planning a May 31 Riverdale CommUNITY Festival against the Klan. More information about this festival will appear in the next issue of 7 News.