B.C. councillor blames 'leftist extremists' after blackface photo surfaces online
CTV
A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.
Warning: this story contains sensitive content
A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.
Colwood Coun. Ian Ward on Monday addressed the photo in a statement on his X account after the picture, which was originally published on a personal family blog, surfaced on social media in recent days.
Ward acknowledged he posed for the photo wearing a Washington Bullets basketball jersey, a gold chain and a wig, with his teeth coloured gold and his hands and face painted black.
"It is embarrassing, and I offer no defence other than to say times change, and people change," Ward wrote in the statement accusing "anonymous antisemitic, anti-law enforcement, leftist extremists" of exposing the nearly 17-year-old picture.
During an interview Tuesday, Ward said the photo was taken before a private Halloween event and he had all but forgotten about it before last week.
"Obviously, in today's lens, you look at it and you realize it's inappropriate," he told CTV News, adding the costume was meant to portray Grammy award-winning rapper 50 Cent.
