A day after racist posters were found on the University of Alberta campus, officials are trying to track down the source of the posters, and their message is being widely condemned.

The posters, with an anti-immigration message, and apparently targeting men who wear turbans, appeared on the U of A campus early Monday morning in the area of the Rutherford Library.

The posters were quickly taken down.

Later Monday, University of Alberta President David Turpin released a statement on the U of A website, saying: “Unfortunately, similar posters have also been found on other Canadian university campuses.”

Turpin spoke to CTV News Tuesday, and said about a dozen posters were found on campus, and officials were investigating.

“Our University protective group is looking to see whether they can identify who the perpetrator or perpetrators were,” Turpin said.

“This is something that makes people on campus very very angry.”

Officials said police are working with U of A officials to investigate. The individual, or individuals who put up those posters could face a variety of penalties.

If they’re a U of A student, consequences range from a fine to expulsion. However, if they’re not affiliated with the university, the case would be handled solely by the Edmonton Police Service.

Also on Monday afternoon, Mayor Don Iveson responded to the poster – saying he hoped a surveillance camera caught an image of whoever put the poster up.

 

 

Early Tuesday, response to the poster went national, with Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan spoke out himself.

 

 

Echoing the minister’s message, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke out against the poster, using the #MakeItAwkward hashtag.

 

 

The posters also included a reference to the website Immigration Watch Canada. A representative from the group told CTV News that the group is not affiliated with the posters, and they are planning on taking legal action.

Former student organizing a ‘Turban tie-in’ in response

Former U of A student Arundeep Singh Sandhu is taking his response to the racist posters a step further, organizing an event he’s called Turban 101, for Tuesday, September 27.

“This is an opportunity for us to share and educate who we are,” Sandhu said.

At the event, volunteers will tie turbans on to students, and answer questions.

“The best solution to something like this is education, so the person that put the posters up, they’re likely to be on campus next week when we see maybe 100, 200 people wearing a turban on campus,” Sandhu said. “You know, maybe they’ll have an opportunity for them to learn.”

Turpin said he’s impressed by the vocal response, denouncing the initial message in those first posters.

“This is the way you deal with racism, you call it out, you identify it, you stand up, and you embrace the diversity.”

With files from Susan Amerongen and Nicole Weisberg