Anti-racism group says Windsor police have arrested a suspect over threatening emails - Action News
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Windsor

Anti-racism group says Windsor police have arrested a suspect over threatening emails

According to anti-racism groupExposeUWindsor, a person has been arrested in connection with threatening online messages sent to Black students and professors

Police would not confirm that an arrest had been made

First-year UWindsor law student, Jordan Afolabi, says the messages were racially-charged, especially toward Black people, anti-Semitic and homophobic. (Tahmina Aziz/CBC)

According to anti-racism groupExposeUWindsor, a person has been arrested for allegedly sending harassing online messagesto Black students and professors.

This comes about three months after the group exposedracist and hateful messagesallegedly exchangedbymembers of the Delta Chi fraternity's University of Windsor chapter whichled to its closuredays later.

ManyBlack students at the University of Windsor spokeout and expressedhow they felt about the incident.

Jordan Afolabi, a first-year law student who'sbeen involved in the investigation process, says there wasan online backlash and threats to those who spoke out.

"Many of them were rendered vulnerable to online public attacks from anonymous accounts, and many of them received very disturbing and menacing messages from various accounts," he said.

"So thisstarted happening and it scared the Black student community."

Windsor Police Service (WPS) would not confirn the arrest and told CBC Newsthey "do not confirm nor deny active investigations."

However, CBC Newsobtained from ExposeUWindsoranemail sent to it from a police investigatorstating a person has been arrestedfor the offence of criminal harassment in relation to the case.

Afolabi said the messages had a chilling effect.

"Many of my friends were hesitant to continue posting and continue speaking out about anti-Black racism."

Afolabi describes the messages as racially-charged, especially toward Black people, anti-Semitic and homophobic.

"It's not just Black students that were affected by this. The queer community was affected and the Jewish community was affected,' he said.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

A banner of upturned fists, with the words 'Being Black in Canada'.
(CBC)