How Media, Politicians Play a Role in Raising the Activism Temperature

How Media, Politicians Play a Role in Raising the Activism Temperature
Grigori Khaskin, owner of Euro Food Tri-City in Coquitlam, B.C., at his store. Jeff Sandes/The Epoch Times
Jeff Sandes
Updated:
News Analysis

Grigori Khaskin owns and operates Euro Food Tri-City in Coquitlam, B.C., where he sells foodstuffs from eastern Europe, including countries like Ukraine, Romania, and Czech Republic. It’s what he hopes will be the final chapter in a storied working career, which has included helping clean up the Chernobyl nuclear site after the catastrophe in 1986, followed by two decades teaching at Simon Fraser University.

However, with a Russian-sounding name and a store selling Russian products, something Khaskin never would have anticipated happened—he became the victim of a series of vicious online attacks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I was born in Ukraine, and I lived in Ukraine my entire life before I came to Canada,” he told The Epoch Times. “And now I’m a Russian terrorist, a fascist. It’s a little bit ironic.”

Kashkin’s store and staff, more than half of whom are from Ukraine, have received vile threats, including death threats, primarily on the store’s Facebook page, followed by a campaign to target the business’s favourable ratings.

A few kilometres away sits Drevo Russian School, which received similar threats as Euro Food, leading the school to post Canada’s official statement condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on its website.

In nearby Vancouver, the Russian Community Centre was damaged around the same time when vandals threw blue and yellow paint on the doors and walls of its theatre entrance. Local police have been investigating all three situations. So far, no arrests have been made.

In fact, Canada has seen few arrests and fewer charges related to the escalation in activism in recent months, and that includes the attack on a Coastal GasLink worksite near Houston, B.C., in mid-February that caused millions of dollars in damage, and the arson and vandalism of 68 churches across the country last summer.

Some academics argue that actions such as the attacks on Russian businesses or the assault on Canadian churches are part of a growing trend in activism today, where people align themselves with a cause they passionately believe they must support, regardless of the consequences—and politicians and media have inflamed the divide.

Damaged heavy machinery is shown in this TFeb. 17, 2022, RCMP handout photo near Houston, B.C. RCMP say they are investigating a violent confrontation between workers building the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. and a group of about 20 people armed with axes. (The Canadian Press/HO, RCMP)
Damaged heavy machinery is shown in this TFeb. 17, 2022, RCMP handout photo near Houston, B.C. RCMP say they are investigating a violent confrontation between workers building the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. and a group of about 20 people armed with axes. The Canadian Press/HO, RCMP