The Niagara Catholic District College Board (NCDSB) trustee underneath fireplace for feedback in regards to the Delight flag says her phrases are being misrepresented, but additionally stated “deeply non secular kids are additionally being harmed” amid debates about whether or not to lift the flag.
A video posted to YouTube every week in the past by Peter Taras, a former Ontario candidate for the Individuals’s Occasion of Canada, exhibits the trustee — Natalia Benoit — saying she didn’t need the college board to fly the Delight flag.
Somebody behind the digital camera asks Benoit what occurred as she leaves a board assembly, and whether or not trustees have been alleged to vote on “not [flying] the Delight or the Trans flag.”
“Nicely, any flag in any respect… Just like the Nazi flag, we don’t need that up both, proper?” Benoit says within the video.
Nazi fascists in Germany murdered six million Jewish individuals in the course of the Holocaust within the Second World Warfare.
The Nazis additionally jailed as much as 50,000 LGBTQ individuals and despatched as much as 15,000 to focus camps, in keeping with Holocaust Memorial Day Belief.
The varsity board’s director and a member of the Niagara Area Anti-Racism Affiliation criticized her feedback, saying she in contrast the Delight flag — a logo of affection — with the Nazi flag — a logo of hate.
Catholic college students in ‘unsafe setting too’: Trustee
Benoit declined an interview however informed CBC Hamilton in an e-mail on Thursday she wasn’t evaluating the Delight flag to the Nazi flag.
“In response to a query about what flags shouldn’t be flown, my reply doesn’t embrace the Delight flag,” Benoit wrote.
“There isn’t any comparability of flags. It’s a assertion that no flags ought to be flown which might trigger battle and controversy in our colleges. Alleging the comparability was solely spreading lies scary a hostile setting.”
Benoit stated her feedback got here after she introduced a movement to solely fly nationwide, provincial, college board and Catholic flags.
“My movement intends to guard the security of our colleges by way of a neutrality coverage for all college students,” she stated.
“Inclusivity in a Catholic college board will solely actually start after we uphold the teachings of our religion by way of Jesus Christ and focus solely on training.”
Nonetheless, when CBC Hamilton requested Benoit to explain precisely what Jesus Christ stated within the bible about homosexuality, Benoit refused, saying solely “I cannot when sacred scripture speaks for itself.”
Requested about how flying the Delight flag creates an unsafe setting or promotes hate, Benoit stated Catholics ought to be allowed to follow their religion “with none confusion.”
“The scholars that maintain deeply held non secular beliefs, they’re those who expertise an unsafe setting too,” she stated.
“The cross is greater than sufficient to let everybody know they’re welcomed.”
She added colleges ought to be a spot “the place kids are targeted on studying and never a spot for intolerance towards kids of Catholic religion.”
Regional councillor condemns trustee’s movement
Benoit stated as a result of consideration she’s acquired from her feedback, she intends to hunt authorized recommendation. She additionally stated individuals have referred to as and wrote to her in anger.
“It’s our job as trustees to create insurance policies which defend the youngsters from the precise hate and rancor I’m at the moment dealing with,” Benoit stated.
She additionally took challenge with feedback from a regional councillor.
Benoit didn’t specify which councillor, however regional councillor Laura Ip beforehand tweeted about Benoit’s movement.
Ip stated in a tweet on Could 25 not flying the Delight flag would “ship a dangerous and, actually, harmful message that queer children are usually not welcome and don’t belong within the NCDSB group.”