Email "Ethnic Costumes" draws protest

People dressed in so-called "ethnic costumes" were gathered outside a conservative rally in Toronto Thursday night to protest after a member of the local Conservative candidate campaign sent an e-mail for people "national folklore costumes" to appear at a photo-op.

An email signed by a worker of the campaign for the conservative candidate Etobicoke Centre, said he was looking for people to create a "photo-op on all multicultural groups that support Ted Opitz our local Conservative candidate and Prime Minister."

People wear placards on "ethnic costumes" at a counter rally outside a conservative event in Toronto. (Kady o ' Malley/CBC)

Opitz said Wednesday that the e-mail was written without his knowledge and that it supports.

Earlier this week, group Toronto colour of poverty - color change responded to repeated talk of "ethnic voting" in the countryside with a parody of the video clip of Beat It's Michael Jackon.

A Facebook page formed after the email was disclosed calls e-mail "patronizing and offensive" and invited the people to participate in a counter rally outside the Etobicoke event.

"Whether you are Chinese, Arab, Portuguese, Italian, South Asian, Irish, Vulcan, Klingon, Zombie or Ewok.". Show the conservatives 'ethnic voters' are not accessories for photo-ops, "explains Facebook page."

Kady O'Malley the CBC estimated that at least 20 people has proved for the counter rally Thursday night.

Salmaan Khan, a student of Ryerson, who helped organize the event, said he felt it was important to respond to the email.

"Personally, as a person of color, I found the comments that have been made in the email of the offensive conservative camp," he said Thursday. "We are not ethnic groups, we are Canadians.

He said cultural garb is not necessarily a costume.

"But this is the way which they the made, and I assume that this is what we show in.."

Khan, said earlier Thursday and that it was not clear how many people will attend the event, or what they are - but he says that some people had the intention to come dressed as conservative leader Stephen Harper.

"Do you have all the cultural groups who wishes to participate by someone with at the event in an ethnic costume?" "We are looking for one or two people in your community," said the e-mail signed by Zeljko 'zed' Zidaric.

"The opportunity is to have up to 20 persons in national folklore costumes that represent their ethnic origins," the e-mail said.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff criticized the call for people in costume.

"When I have meetings, I would rearrange people in ethnic costumes behind it," Ignatieff said Thursday. "It is not costumes, for the love of the sky."

But Harper said Thursday that the email represents his party approach.

"History is absolutely bizarre," said Harper. "We have greater representation, we get better support than ever in the whole of all cultural communities in this country, and this is not how we do business."

No partisan Conservatives do retroussée in the rally of costume.

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Ivory Coast: 100 found more bodies as ethnic tensions rise - the guardian

Alassane Ouattara, said his troops secure the streets of Abidjan and to establish a perimeter Laurent Gbagbo would link. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

UN investigators found more than 100 facilities in C?te d'Ivoire, to have been victims of what ethnically motivated massacres appear in the last 24 hours. Some seem alive have been burned and others were thrown into a well, said a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for human rights.

The killings at three locations in western Ivory Coast occurred, and may have been carried out by Liberian mercenaries, according to the UN.

The discovery came as Alassane Ouattara, who said the internationally recognised President of C?te d'Ivoire, he would not try to capture Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to leave power and is hidden in a bunker under his personal residence.

In his first televised address since the beginning said siege in Abidjan this week Ouattara he would focus on the return of the country to facilitate to normal about the fate of civilians.

The UN team discovery underlines the need for an urgent resolution on the crisis that was caused by Gbagbo's rejection of the official election results in November last year.

About 40 bodies were in Blolequin, West of Duékoué, where another last week discovered 229 bodies were found. Another 15 bodies were discovered in Duékoué, and a further 60 in the nearby town of Guiglo were found. Some of the victims were from other countries in West Africa.

Forces loyal to Ouattara were partly for the massacre in Duékoué was discovered last week made responsible. It is not yet clear that the massacre on Thursday revealed performed.

"The incidents appear at least partially ethnically motivated to have been", said Rupert Colville, UNHCHR spokesman in Geneva. "I think you have a little carefully the assignment of responsibilities be." He said, increased ethnic tensions as the conflict continues.

C?te d'Ivoire has Muslim north and Christian South and other 60 different ethnic groups. Under Gbagbo's decade-long rule, especially in the early days he tolerated and one increase in xenophobia, especially against the Ivorians, which parents came as the French from neighbouring countries. Muslims from the North - Ouattara's most important constituency - were caused much bitterness and a brief civil war also discriminated against.

Limited to the rapid progress last week having Ouattara's forces through the country Gbagbo to his bunker with his influential wife Simone. UN and French peacekeeping troops have attacked its military depots to reduce his firepower. But he refuses to make, insists that he won the election and France the blame for his predicament.

Many of Gbagbo's top generals and troops have left him, but about 200 soldiers and militia with heavy weapons are equipped subdivision, guard according to the French military his home in the upmarket Cocody. You repelled an attack by Ouattara's fighters on Wednesday.

In his television speech, Ouattara said his troops were setting up connection to a security perimeter around's Gbagbo. You would only for him to run out of water and food, and at the same time securing the streets of Abidjan, where most people in their homes of this week due to the heavy fighting remained.

Ouattara said that he soon the ban on exports of cocoa, would end up, which he announced in January. He asked the EU to Ivory Coast's major ports, designed to bring Gbagbo under pressure in resign lift sanctions.

In addition requested Ouattara Central Bank of west African States its branches in the country again salaries are paid. He also promised, human rights hold a public inquiry abuses during the conflict.

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