“White Supremacists” Charged in Vancouver Hate Crimes



Two men were charged in Vancouver, BC for multiple hate crimes. These men were known to be in an international white supremacy group. These two men were known as Robert de Chazal and Shawn MacDonald, both charged with four attacks which had all occurred in the metro Vancouver area between the years 2008 and 2010. In one of the brutal attacks, the two of them had set a Filipino man on fire as he was sleeping on a couch on Commercial Drive in 2009. The Filipino man said he had been drinking, found a couch, and decided to sleep when they attack later commenced. Witnesses had seen a third man setting the Filipino man on fire, but the suspect has yet to be named.  The three white supremacists had been seen pouring lighter fluid over the Filipino man. It known that the white supremacy group that all had three of the suspects belonged to was the group called Blood and Honour. Chazal is being charged with a separate assault which left a black man unconscious in 2009. MacDonald is as well being charged with three other separate assaults - Hispanic man, a black man, and an Aboriginal woman - between the years of 2008 and 2010. Blood and Honour is known as a loosely knit white supremacist group which has a handful of followers belonging to the lower mainland.

In my view, I believe that no one should be looked as less, no matter age, sexuality, religion, gender, origin of birth, disability, and in this case, race. Each of these attacks had gone against many individual rights given by the constitution. These innocent victims were wrongly assaulted for reasons that they cannot help. I don’t find it ethical that someone would even think they have the right and privilege to ‘set a man on fire” because he is a different race than himself. All five victims did nothing wrong to have such acts of violence and assault committed against them. I do not feel that having slightly different coloured skin should determine how one is treated poorly or highly. Being Caucasian should not automatically be seen as “authority”, or as a “higher power”. I, myself am Caucasian, and being Caucasian has never made me believe that I am superior when I am amongst my multi-racial friends, nor do I think I will ever feel superior because of that reason amongst my multi-racial friends. I find all believers of white supremacy views and other groups such as this, as closed minded. At times, I sadly feel these views and groups as less intelligent than most because of how closed minded they are. These groups have little reasoning to proceed with such actions, or to even think they are higher than most because of their race. People are people, no matter their age, sexuality, religion, gender, origin of birth, disability, and race.

SOURCE:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/09/white-supremacists-who-allegedly-set-fire-to-filipino-man-charged-over-hate-crimes/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/12/09/bc-white-supremacists.html

By Brian Hutchinson and CBC News