Stickers which read “reject white guilt,” containing a similar message to the international “It’s okay to be white” campaign, have been called “deplorable” by the police and “racist” by the local press.
In Ipswich, Suffolk, stickers bearing the message “reject white guilt” have appeared around the town over the weekend, causing controversy.
According to the Ipswich Star, the stickers appeared on lampposts and bus shelters. The Ipswich Star refrained from reporting on all the messages contained in the “white supremacist” stickers “due to their extremely racist content.”
The Ipswich Star added that the stickers which they excluded “referred to white privilege.”
Other stickers shown in the images snapped from the weekend also include the international “It’s okay to be white” format.
One Ipswich resident said: “You do expect it in other larger places, but not Ipswich.
“The fact they have targeted the school route is vile.”
The Ipswich Borough Council deputy leader, Bryony Rudkin, remarked: “This is deplorable. This racist behaviour does not represent the people of Ipswich or our town.”
Police have also confirmed their collaboration with the local council in removing the stickers.
A local council for Racial Equality spokesperson said:
“Ipswich is a strong town because of its diversity and the acceptance and tolerance that different parts of our community show for each other.
“That said, there will always be a small handful of troublemakers who resent what Suffolk’s county town has achieved and will continue to achieve. We’re pleased that Ipswich Borough Council has moved swiftly to remove the stickers and to members of the public for informing them and the police of their existence in the first place. We would urge all concerned citizens to report such incidents should they happen again.”
In spite of the outrage, this is not the first time in the UK where similar pro-white messages have been dubbed “racist” or “white supremacist.”
Late last year, “It’s Okay to Be White” graffiti appear in Southport, Northwest England.
National File reported:
OTS News, the publication which spotted and wrote about the ‘It’s Okay to Be White’ graffiti which appeared in Northwest England, started with the following headline: “Racial hatred message daubed on park wall.”
In another case, police launched investigations to similar flyers and stickers appearing on the Scottish streets of Perth.
A local resident claimed to have feared for her family upon seeing the messages.
