Social media videos depicting disrespect of the Indigenous experience provokes outrage

Video posted on social media showing a man wearing an orange Every Child Matters flag while dancing to Indigenous music has sparked outrage on social media. (Supplied)

TRIGGER WARNING - Details in this article may be disturbing to some readers.

Social media posts showing young adults dancing with an Every Child Matters flag are sparking a response from the Sagamok Anishnawbek community in northern Ontario.

Three videos are making the rounds on social media, all highlighting disrespect, mockery and a complete disregard for Indigenous history, northern Ontario First Nation officials say.

"What we saw in these videos has shaken us, emotionally and spiritually, weighing heavy on our minds and even felt in the core of our bodies," said Sagamok Anishnawbek Chief Alan Ozawanimke in a video statement on Friday.

"They triggered our Elders and our grandparents, as those who hold the living memory of their personal experiences away from home."

All three videos involve a flag that is used to bring awareness to the tragic residential school experience in Canada and honour the Indigenous children whose lives were impacted.

In one video, a man admits to stealing an Every Child Matters flag from a former residential school in Spanish, Ont.

The other two videos show young men dancing while the flag is used as a prop.

"These videos diminish their experiences and disrespected the memory of those children who never made it home. All in less than one minute of footage," said Ozawanimke.

"We see that the shock of finding the first young ones buried in mass unmarked graves in May 2021 has worn off and our treaty partners find that it's now alright to start allowing themselves to rewrite the Canadian narrative once again to diminish the experience of Indigenous people across North America in the context of the Indigenous residential school system."

Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, a visiting scholar at York University and a proud Anishniabbe from Sagamok First Nation, said the videos sparked shock and anger.

"When I became really aware that, again, the Every Child Matters flag was actually stolen from the memorial site in Spanish at the Spanish Residential School, I really believe that this took it to a new level,” she said.

"A new level of (real) indecency because it’s the desecration of a site where our people have suffered and we have suffered and we still again experience that trauma."

Officials with the Ontario Provincial Police have confirmed that the Manitoulin detachment's crime unit is investigating the incident. However, since it is in its early stages, no other details can be released. Police said that if charges are laid more information will be released publicly.

"They need to take responsibility for their actions and what does taking responsibility actually mean?" Toulouse said. "Taking responsibility means that whatever investigation, you know, from the jurisdictional system happens, no matter what it is, that they accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions. Not only that, what’s also really critical is that it’s going to take time. It’s going to take time for restitution with Indigenous Peoples to actually take place. You cannot inflict that level of trauma, that level of racism and not expect that the Indigenous community is going to require the time and the space to process what has happened at that particular site. But not only that but how it is that that flag and what it represents was used as a point of mockery."

However, Ozawanimke said he doesn’t wish to shame the individuals but instead draw awareness to the bigger issues that are still going on.

"We remind our neighbours and Canadians alike that reconciliation involves a commitment to pursue the truth, to acknowledge what has occurred as an anchor to build trust in our ongoing relationship. There are no more excuses to be made for blatant expressions of hate," the chief said.

Ozawanimke said the videos were first brought to his attention the weekend of Feb. 5 and 6 and have been identified as taking place at a residence in the neighbouring community of Massey, Ont.

The videos were also brought up at the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers council meeting on Feb. 9.

In the meeting, members of council discussed the need for people to be careful about what they post online and not post anything mean or disgraceful towards Indigenous people.

CTV News did reach out to Massey’s mayor and council and was told that the issue may be addressed during the Feb. 23 meeting.

"We have allies and accomplices who responded in a good way," said Toulouse.

"You know, 'what can I do? What can I do to support the community? What is it that I can do to affect change? What can I do to do the work in reconciliation?' We have these wonderful non-Indigenous allies and accomplices, but when a township and citizens don’t respond with shame, with anger, with disgust to videos like this, then that really speaks to the amount of work that needs to be done in terms of decolonizing the self."

However, Ozawanimke said it isn’t just about saying "sorry," but instead asking bigger questions.

"We don’t seek meaningless words of apology from the perpetrators of hate propaganda. For those words would only respond to the act of being exposed," he said. "What is the response of those family mentors who taught such behaviour? Or that it is okay to demean others who are unlike you?"

Several people in the community have responded to the videos on a private Facebook page voicing their opinions, concerns and feelings over the matter.

"Racism and these particular videos, you know, are really all too common," Toulouse said. "I’m a professor. I’ve been a teacher and an educator for 30 years in my profession, but not only that, my family members work in every type of industry. They work in industries related to hospitality, transportation, to mining and every single one of my family members and friends that are Indigenous have experienced various forms of racism and violence. So these videos really are an indicator of what’s an epidemic in our society."

A walk has been organized for this Friday between Sagamok and Massey residents to help with reconciliation. The plan is for Sagamok residents to walk from the pavilion on Reserve Road where Massey residents can meet them. Then the group will walk to the Rona parking lot in Massey as a united group. It is scheduled to take place from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. and masks must be worn.

"It’s time that these particular acts and that racism period against equity-deserving groups be called out. It needs to be called out. And that if people occupy this role as a bystander, that what you are doing is you’re actually reinforcing and supporting those acts of racism," said Toulouse.

"We are in a society where there is no more room for bystanders."