Yusra Khogali, one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter Toronto, reportedly tweeted about killing men and white people on Feb. 9.

Yusra Khogali, one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter Toronto, reportedly tweeted about killing men and white people on Feb. 9.
Photo Credit: CBC

Anti-racist leader under fire for racist tweet

The anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter, began in the US on the heels of several shootings of black people by police.

The movement has spread to Canada. Recently members of the group had been camped in front of Toronto Police headquarters, since moving instead to camp in front of Queen’s Park, the Ontario legislature.

Black Lives Matter protesters camped out in front of the Toronto Police Headquarters in Toronto on Monday March 21. They have since moved to the Ontario legislature
Black Lives Matter protesters camped out in front of the Toronto Police Headquarters in Toronto on Monday March 21. They have since moved to the Ontario legislature © Cole Burston/The Canadian Press

The protest began after the Special Investigations Unit cleared police officers involved in the shooting death last summer of Andrew Loku, a black man with a history of mental illness who refused to drop a hammer he was wielding.The SIU is Ontario’s independent civilian law enforcement agency which is called in to investigate when police are involved with a death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.

“Plz Allah give me strength to not cuss/kill these men and white folks out here today. Plz plz plz,”

The protesters have listed several demands including a public inquiry into the shooting.

However, another situation has recently overtaken headlines. The co-founder of the group, a young Muslim woman Yusra Khogali is now in the news for a tweet she made on February 9.

This came to light this week when a local Toronto radio host and Sun newspaper columnist, Jerry Agar, himself posted a tweet showing a printout from Yusra Khogali’s account showing what appears to be a racist comment.

The tweet said,  “Plz Allah give me strength to not cuss/kill these men and white folks out here today. Plz plz plz,”

Khogali was one of the people from the group that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne spoke to on Monday. Premier Wynne has since said *My hope would be that what that young woman tweeted has nothing to do with the position of the group as a whole.*
Khogali was one of the people from the group that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne spoke to on Monday. Premier Wynne has since said *My hope would be that what that young woman tweeted has nothing to do with the position of the group as a whole.* © CBC

The original tweet was immediately removed after Agar’s own tweet about it which made it more widely known.

Efforts by several news organizations to reach Yusra Khogali with no success, and the other co-founder, Sandy Hudson, has said she will not comment on the tweet, but later in an interview with CityNews avoided and deflected repeated questions.

Additional concern has been raised by police themselves after the Ontario  Premier Kathleen Wynne spoke briefly to the protesters saying there is “systemic racism in society”.

The president of the Toronto Police Association, says he wants clarification of her comments saying the public can draw the conclusion the Premier was referring to police with her comments.

In addition to the concern over the tweet by the Black Lives Matter, Mike McCormack of the Toronto Police Association is asking for clarification of comments made by the Ontario Premier when she spoke to the group
In addition to the concern over the tweet by the Black Lives Matter, Mike McCormack of the Toronto Police Association is asking for clarification of comments made by the Ontario Premier when she spoke to the group © CBC

Mike McCormack says the Police Association has never claimed that no officers are racist or angels, but does take exception to the notion the police are systemically racist.

Additional information-sources

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