‘This corrective measure serves as a testament to Lafarge Canada's position in regard to discrimination of all types, and our zero tolerance policy when it comes to such matters’
On June 12, Lafarge truck driver Allonde Junior Georges found a noose hanging where he habitually parked his truck. Georges, who is of Haitian descent, told his employers on June 29. Speaking with Montreal La Presse, Georges said that when he told his employers, the incident was trivialized and treated like a bad joke.
“I was told to not worry about it, keep it for myself even. I never got any follow up,” Georges told La Presse.
Nevertheless, Lafarge released a statement on July 8 recognizing that an act of discrimination involving a symbol of hatred took place in one of their workplaces in Montreal. The construction materials company states that following an investigation, the employee responsible for the discriminatory act was fired.
“This corrective measure serves as a testament to Lafarge Canada's position in regard to discrimination of all types, and our zero tolerance policy when it comes to such matters.” Said the company.
Ontario
This news follows disturbing reports of similar incidents which have occurred in Ontario. In June, nooses were found on three separate construction sites in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
On June 10, two Black construction workers found two nooses at the Michael Garron Hospital construction site in East York run by EllisDon, reports Ontario Construction News. On June 25, a noose was discovered at a worksite on 81 Bay Street in downtown Toronto. The site is jointly run by EllisDon and Govan Brown. On June 26, a noose was found on a construction site at Dundas Street East and Sumach Street in Toronto. The company running the site, The Daniels Corporation, has filed a report with Toronto police. These acts are being treated as hate crimes.
Nooses are understood to be a symbol of hatred, a reminder of the lynchings of Black people in the United States. Racially motivated lynchings took place mainly in Southern States, both before and after slavery was abolished in the US and continued into the 20th century. According to statistics shared by civil rights organization NAACP, 3,446 Black people were lynched between 1882 – 1968.
Source available in French here (La Presse).
