During a presidential debate last week, former U.S. president Donald Trump made shocking and false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating pets.
In Quebec, home to Canada’s largest Haitian community, some officials warn that this type of anti-immigration rhetoric is extremely dangerous.
“Attacking people just to pick some votes to…get elected, it is not only angry, but also a great feeling of injustice for the Haitian community,” said Quebec MNA Frantz Benjamin.
Springfield has seen around 15,000 Haitian immigrants move in over recent years, which has put a strain on schools, healthcare facilities, city services, and has driven up housing costs.
On Tuesday, Ohio state police were sent to Springfield schools in response to a series of bomb threats, which officials say mostly came from overseas.
This came in the wake of Trump’s false accusations.
Benjamin says he sees anti-immigration sentiments growing but says Canadians should stay vigilant and make sure that they don’t fall victim to divisive rhetoric.
“We’re hoping that, you know, we don’t follow that type of political game based on racism and discrimination, opposing people one against another.”
There are nearly 179,000 Canadians of Haitian origin, with 87 per cent living in Quebec, mostly in Montreal, according to Statistics Canada.
Haiti’s ambassador to Canada, Wien Weibert Arthus, says this isn’t the first time Haitians have been unfairly targeted, describing them as “easy targets” for discrimination and unjust treatment.
“I remember in the 80s when they were going against refugees, Haiti was a target,” says Arthus. “In the 90s, when they started to do research around AIDS, Haiti was a 4H, so Haiti was a target.”
Aruthus says Trump’s allegations were inhumane and racist.
Haiti is grappling with a surge in gang violence, political instability and a humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, more than 360, 000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes.
“They are looking for a better life,” says Arthus “[Whether] they are somewhere in Canada, in the U.S., in France or other countries, they work really hard.”