BC Conservative Candidate Called For ‘Boycott’ of Air Canada to Stop Airlifts Rescuing Syrian Refugees

A BC Conservative candidate who recently apologized for anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian statements also repeatedly posted anti-refugee content on social media.

Brent Chapman, the BC Conservative candidate for Surrey South, issued a statement Wednesday night apologizing for comments he acknowledged were “completely unacceptable.”

Chapman had come under fire after the resurfacing of past statements on social media falsely claiming Muslims and Palestinians engage in “inbreeding.”

2. Mr. Chapman has many opinions on people of the Muslim faith. Here he refers to Muslims as, “little inbred walking, talking, breathing time bombs…” #bcpoli #vanpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/pPXC2Ze06K

— Jas Johal (@JasJohalBC) October 10, 2024

“It is forbidden to marry outside your family in Palestine,” Chapman wrote. “They are all little inbred walking, talking, breathing timebombs… figuratively and quite literally.”

In another post, Chapman claimed Muslim babies in Saudi Arabia are born with “birth defects” and “malformed organs” caused by “rampant consanguinity.”

Despite the apology, PressProgress independently confirmed Chapman deleted his personal Facebook account late Wednesday night around the same time as he issued a statement apologizing for his anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian statements.

Chapman’s deleted account was a prolific contributor to a number of private right-wing Facebook groups which are not publicly-viewable. In one now-deleted message, Chapman attempted to organize members of his group to troll the comment sections on left-wing Facebook pages and “kick some butt.”

Other postings show a pattern of problematic and antagonistic views about refugees fleeing dangerous conflict zones in one of the most significant humanitarian crises in recent history.

In one deleted posting from November 2015, Chapman called on Canadians to “boycott” Air Canada to prevent further airlifts rescuing refugees from Syria after viewing a misleading anti-refugee video featuring what he believed to be Muslim refugees crossing into Macedonia.

“Air Canada wants to lend planes and crew to assist in airlifting Syrians to Canada,” Chapman wrote. “Maybe Canadians could help Air Canada understand our disappointment by giving them a boycott.”

Chapman suggested a “boycott” could be a “little stocking stuffer” for Air Canada.

Source: Brent Chapman (Facebook)

The link shared by Chapman goes to a now-defunct website called “Jews News” sharing a “video that the BBC most certainly won’t let you see” purportedly of Middle Easterners trying to “mass invade Europe.”

“Muslim ‘refugees’ refuse food parcels because of the Red Cross on the boxes,” the headline states.“This stunning footage shows the ungrateful Muslim mob on the Greek / Macedonian border waving away food parcels because they are offended by the red crosses that have been on the boxes since 1864.”

According to the fact-checking website Snopes.com, while the video shared by Chapman does show a group of refugees at the Greece-Macedonia border in August 2015, the video is presented out-of-context.

“There is no evidence that the migrants shown in the video are Muslim, that they were offended by the Red Cross symbol as a representation of Christianity, or that they refused the aid because it wasn’t certified halal,” Snopes wrote.

According to the Italian news organization Il Post, local Macedonian journalists as well as the Red Cross confirmed the video shows refugees frustrated with heavy-handed restrictions by Macedeonian police.

The website “Jews News” is included on a list of fake news websites compiled as part of a project by Facebook and the fact-checking website PolitiFact.

In another now-deleted posting two weeks later, Chapman shared a video echoing the messaging of the European far-right claiming: “Millions of fake refugees flood Europe in biblical proportions, demand money and best housing.”

“Here it comes,” Chapman wrote. “They know where to get a free ride.”

Source: Brent Chapman (Facebook)

In another posting in the private Facebook group, Chapman reacted to a video featuring Islamophobic media personality Robert Spencer titled “Muslims want Sharia Law in non-Muslim countries.”

“What is scary to me is that we have been so de-MORAL-ized that we no longer fight for what we have been bequeathed,” the BC Conservative candidate wrote.

“I too am worried of what (they) are planning for us but I am more concerned that so many who should not for one second even entertain the thought, instead, would think themselves so enlightened that they will end up accepting it.”

Source: Brent Chapman (Facebook)

Neither Chapman nor the BC Conservatives responded to requests for comment from PressProgress.

Chapman, an actor who has had minor roles in several films, is the spouse of federal Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who  serves as Pierre Poilievre’s chief whip.

In a statement Wednesday, BC Conservative leader John Rustad said Chapman’s views do not reflect the values of his party, but also indicated he would not remove Chapman as a candidate.