Advocates say alleged assault and racism at Lewisporte school shows need for anti-racism policy

A Grand Falls-Windsor doctor says he was heartbroken to learn of racism experienced by a colleague's family, while Newfoundland and Labrador's anti-racism coalition says an alleged assault highlights the need for a plan to address racism in schools.

Dr. Fady Kamel, a general surgeon who moved to the province from South Africa in the 1990s, said he was disturbed to hear Dr. Gerges Ambarak tell CBC News his daughter was attacked at Lewisporte Intermediate School on Thursday. Amarbak believes the attack was racially motivated.

"I was shocked, appalled, disappointed. Not just as a first-generation immigrant, but as a Newfoundlander as well," Kamel said Monday, adding he has spoken to Ambarak and his family since Friday.

"I wanted them to know this doesn't represent Newfoundlanders. It's not a normal thing. This is one of a few isolated incidents that occur, and I wanted them to know that, you know, the community has rallied around them and do support them."

One youth has been charged with assault. The father of the accused, speaking with CBC News on Friday, said the incident was a teenage altercation that got out of hand and wasn't racially motivated.

Kamel said he moved to St. Anthony from South Africa around 1995 — shortly after the end of apartheid. He and his family never experienced racism in Newfoundland and Labrador, he said, and the province was the first place where he felt like he was just another teenager.

WATCH | This central Newfoundland doctor is showing his support for a family who say their daughter has been bullied and assaulted because of her race:

After allegations of racism rocked central Newfoundland, a fellow doctor says people are rallying around the affected family

1 year ago

Duration 1:03

Dr. Fady Kamel says he wants Dr. George Ambarak and his family to know that the bullying and racism Ambarak says his daughter experienced is not representative of Newfoundlanders. Kamel says he, too, is an immigrant, and there is no place for intolerance.

However, he acknowledged that rhetoric around social issues and racism has drastically changed since he was a youth.

"It just takes a single isolated incident to create a stain on the reputation," he said. "I think in 2023 it's time to have, like, a serious conversation about this. This just, period, should not be happening."

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District told CBC News on Monday that the incident is being reviewed and that it strives to make every school a safe space and condemn racism in any form.

Kamel says schools need to take a stronger stance on bullying and racism, with tangible action and not just empathy or sympathies.

Sobia Shaikh, a founding member of the Anti-Racism Coalition N.L., said that's something the organization has been demanding for almost two years.

"Racism needs to be addressed not just at the individual children's level, but also through policy and the government," she said. "We're not talking about one-offs here. We're talking about a policy and a process in place."

Shaikh said they've asked for any policy to include things like anti-racism training for teachers and a provincial advisory board of racialized people with experience in anti-racism since January 2022.

"Denouncing racism when it happens is important. It's not enough," she said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.