West Island family calls out alleged racism on hockey rink, high school
Global News
A Black teen, who doesn't want to be identified for fear of being targeted, claims that he faced race-based bullying from some white hockey teammates.
Nadine Hart says she wants answers.
“Because the racism that my son experienced in the sports hockey program at John Rennie High School is unacceptable,” she told reporters during a press conference Sunday.
Her son, who doesn’t want to be identified for fear of being targeted, claims that he and other racialized players faced race-based bullying from some white teammates shortly after joining the hockey program at the school.
“This one time on the ice when somebody called me the N-word, I spoke up about it,” said the teen who registered for the program in September 2022.
But things boiled over in early December at the Bob Birnie Arena in the Montreal suburb of Pointe Claire, when the 13-year-old had an argument with a white teammate who, he alleges, made derogatory comments about his skin colour.
“He started saying racist stuff to me,” Hart’s son insisted. “After, I retorted and started saying stuff back to him.”
According to the alleged victim, the other youth struck him, causing visible facial injuries.
Hart said she spoke to the school’s principal about that and other alleged racist acts against her son, but maintains she wasn’t taken seriously.