White-supremacist highway sign casts pall on Steinbach city council campaign

An investigation is underway by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding a white-supremacist sign found near Steinbach, Manitoba. The sign, which reads "STEINBACH VOTES WHITE NOT BROWN" and bears the name "Nationalist-13," a neo-Nazi group based in Hamilton, Ontario, has drawn concern among local residents and political figures.

First-year Steinbach city council candidate Mitesh Kumar expressed his worry for his family's safety amidst the alleged threats and racist messaging. Kumar, who has lived in Steinbach for a decade after immigrating from India, emphasized his commitment to improve community perspectives, despite facing hate speech during his campaign.

Greg Carlos, a second-year candidate who emigrated from the Philippines, also voiced his concern about the sign, noting that its presence could embolden others to harbor similar sentiments. Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk denounced the sign as offensive, expressing his disgust at the association with the city's growing diversity.

The Free Press reported that NS-13 has been actively recruiting members through encrypted communication apps, with over 4,000 followers. Local scholars, such as Ameil Joseph, a white supremacy expert based in Hamilton, have noted the alarming trend of NS-13's expansion and more brazen tactics. Conspiracy theories and online narratives about immigration and white replacement are believed to have contributed to the normalization of extremist groups like NS-13.

Steinbach Police, along with the RCMP, have taken the matter seriously, opening an investigation following the discovery of the sign. City council candidate Damian Penner, who alerted Mayor Funk about the sign, expressed his apprehension regarding such beliefs harbored by individuals within the community.