Unfounded slaughterhouse rumours bring hate and harassment to Clarington family

What started as an online conspiracy theory that an illegal slaughterhouse is in operation in Clarington has rapidly evolved into a “coordinated campaign of white supremacist harassment” that has prompted the National Council of Canadian Muslims to speak out on behalf of a local Muslim family.

The council, along with the Clarington mayor and concerned residents, spoke publicly at a press conference in Bowmanville about what they are calling an “escalating campaign of intimidation, hate, and extremist threats” targeting Mohsin Bhuiyan and his family, who live on Middle Road in Bowmanville.

Allegations of an abattoir operating on the farm have been circulating for several months on a Facebook site called Bring CHANGE to Clarington, with claims repeated by the page’s followers of animal cruelty and of poultry being mass slaughtered on the premises.

The evidence to back up the claims has been limited to sometimes disturbing images of dead poultry and ads for chickens for sale, both of unknown date and origin. Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster has said that an investigation into the allegations by bylaw officers has not uncovered any evidence of wrongdoing.

Omar Khamissa of the National Council of Canadian Muslims in Bowmanville on Thursday

The campaign against the Bhuiyan family has been amplified by a former Clarington mayor, John Mutton, who served in the role from 2000 to 2006 and was in the news in recent years for his role as an insider in the Greenbelt scandal (where he received a two-year ban from lobbying), as the infamous ‘Mr. X.’

Mutton, who has embraced his Mr. X persona, using it in all his social media posts, confronted the homeowner in a video he posted online and encouraged followers to report any “suspicious activity” at the farm. He alleged animals were being mistreated and said that critics were turning animal welfare concerns into a racially-charged issue.

Former Clarington Mayor John Mutton – aka ‘Mr. X’ – with Ontario Premier Doug Ford

The attacks prompted the NCCM to address the issue at the Islamic Centre of Bowmanville on Thursday morning, and for Foster, who spoke at the press conference, to issue a press release stating the municipality has found “no evidence” of any illegal abattoirs operating in Clarington.

Foster said by-law officers have been out to the property after receiving formal complaints and have conducted an investigation, which found no evidence of an abattoir operating there. Building Division inspectors identified building code matters unrelated to meat processing; no evidence has been confirmed to support claims of illegal meat processing, he added.

Foster called the people behind what he called a “campaign of hate” a very small percentage of Clarington’s population, but said the small number of people (“and the bots”) have the potential to “do some very real damage.”

“Nobody should feel unsafe in Clarington. Nobody should feel intimidated in Clarington,” he said at the press conference.

Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster

Foster, in an interview with INsauga, said he believes now is the time for the community to “step up” for people who have been “bullied and harassed inside their own homes. This is where the community can come together.”

“Can you imagine, instead of hate, we could use this energy to solve some very real problems. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

Omar Khamissa of the NCCM, who spoke on the matter Thursday with Foster and community members by his side, said despite a “complete lack of evidence” for the slaughterhouse claims, the conspiracy has continue to fuel sustained harassment, including drones being flown over the family’s property and a nearby Muslim school, repeated online abuse, death threats, and the organization of a since-cancelled protest outside the family’s farm that was scheduled for Friday morning.

Khamissa said online posts invoking the anti-immigrant riots in Belfast are of “particular concern,” with suggestions that residents should “take a page” from those events, which included mobs attacking immigrants and burning homes.

“Such rhetoric amounts to the normalization of organized violence against a vulnerable minority, creating a climate in which a Muslim family has received death threats,” he said.

“This is no longer simply a dispute driven by misinformation. The rhetoric surrounding this campaign has become increasingly associated with alt-right and white supremacist ideology. Material circulated online has included crusader imagery calling to ‘send them back, references to the anti-immigrant violence in Belfast as a model for Clarington and the promotion of anti-immigrant organizing.”

The family now faces what is effectively an attempt to mobilize a white supremacist demonstration outside their home, a statement from the council declared.

“The speakers will call on law enforcement and public officials to recognize the seriousness of these threats, investigate those responsible for promoting or encouraging extremist intimidation, and ensure that organized hate campaigns are confronted before they escalate into violence.”

Foster is reminding residents that “hate has no home in Clarington.”

“This is not debate or dialogue. These comments are meant to harm. They spread disinformation, target individuals, and are designed to create fear and divide our community.”

Foster said Clarington residents and staff have been doxxed and subjected to racist, discriminatory, and threatening posts.

“This is unacceptable. Harassment and hate undermine the values we stand for. If we ignore it, we allow it to grow,” the mayor said. “Enough is enough. Everyone in Clarington deserves to feel safe and welcome. Our community is built on respect, fairness, and inclusion. Each of us has a responsibility to uphold those values.”

Residents are encouraged to use a community-based program to report hate speech on social media.

“Choose respect over hostility,” he added. “Speak up when you see hate. Get your facts from a trustworthy source. If you see hate, speak up and report it. Defend the victims.”

Foster, who said the videos being posted were “absolutely vile,” described the repeated allegations – despite denials from the municipality and the lack of concrete evidence – as “weird” behaviour and hopes the community can recognize it for what it is.

“We shouldn’t underestimate the ability of the public to understand that this is weird behaviour.”

Clarington resident Beverley Burr took to social media to say any candidate who endorses this type of divisive politics shouldn’t be running for office.

“Anyone spreading, excusing, or amplifying this kind of hate, intimidation, Islamophobia, and white supremacist rhetoric has no place in public office or in Clarington, period,” she said.

“Let’s stop pretending this is ‘just politics’ or a disagreement over local issues. It isn’t. When a Muslim family in our community is being targeted with conspiracy theories, harassment, death threats, extremist rhetoric, and calls that echo white supremacist violence, that is not debate. That is hate. That is intimidation. And it is dangerous.”