London bar changes sign after drawing criticism for targeting Chinese community

A downtown bar in London, Ont. has changed its billboard after drawing criticism for targeting the Chinese community with a previous message that described the coronavirus as the "China virus."

The city's mayor, police service, university presidents, alongside federal and provincial politicians have all condemned the language on display at the Ale House, as Londoners of Asian descent continue to express why it is offensive. 

The bar's owner Alex Petro spoke to CBC News at the establishment Friday but refused an interview. 

Earlier that day, he changed the sign to read "Calling out an oppressive govt is not racist period! We have respect 4 all people."

That message was in response to community backlash from the previous day's sign which read, "Mr Ford, history will show lockdowns caused more damage 2 the public then [sic] the China virus!" 

London police called it disappointing and offensive but said it does not meet the threshold of a criminal offence.

"The Canadian Charter of Rights permits freedom of speech for all Canadians, and while some incidents may not meet the threshold of a criminal offence, there is of course a related impact, as a result of such divisive comments," the London Police statement said.

Ansel Yu, a fourth-year student at Western University and originally from China, agrees the impact is real.

He fears that allowing the use of the term "China virus" to be used places not only himself but other Londoners of Asian descent at risk for receiving hate and being attacked for the coronavirus.

"[The bar] is putting the entire Asian community in a really bad situation," said Yu. He was one of many Chinese Londoners who spoke to CBC about their concerns. 

A petition launched Thursday called on London Mayor Ed Holder to respond to the sign and has since garnered more than 5,000 signatures.

Holder said Londoners are proud to have a vibrant Chinese community and he praised their response. 

"The outpouring of support we've seen in response, from Londoners of all backgrounds, is a testament to that. And, I believe, a far better reflection of the values this city truly represents," Holder said Friday.

London North Centre NDP MPP Terence Kernaghan echoed that but expressed concern that anti-Chinese language is being used by a local business owner.

"London is such a diverse, welcoming community, and it was really a shock to see this type of divisive language, you know, right now and should be coming together. And this language does the exact opposite," Kernaghan said Friday.

Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP MP for London-Fanshawe, similarly said she was disappointed to see hateful language promoted by a business in her hometown in a statement released Friday, calling for more to be done to counter these incidents.

Mathyssen said it is "unacceptable" that not all police departments in the country have a designated hate crime unit to record and handle such matters so that minority groups are better protected from hate.

"With the rise in hate crimes, the NDP have called on the federal government to show leadership by hosting a federal-provincial-territorial meeting to discuss the rise in hate crimes in Canada and to coordinate our collective efforts and identify best practices to countering this trend," Mathyssen said.

"In addition, in order to better protect minority groups from hate, we must establish national standards for identifying and recording all hate incidents and their dispensation in the Justice system," she said.

Early Friday morning, the heads of Western University and its affiliated colleges, King's, Brescia and Huron, said they have an obligation to speak out against racism in a joint statement.

"It is unacceptable for our students to be subjected to acts of racism in the city where they choose to make a home," the statement reads.