Catholic School Board Member Calling Christian Men 'Dangerous' Sparks Anger

A Canadian Catholic school board collectively walked out of its meeting Monday night after a crowd called for a member's resignation over her tweets disparaging Christian men.

School board meetings, notably across the United States, became plenty more contentious throughout the COVID-19 pandemic due to the implementation of various safety stipulations, as well as debates on book bans and critical race theory.

Similar clashes have occurred in Canada, according to Fox News, as the father of a fourth-grader chastised a local school board in January after his daughter was reportedly asked about her gender identity. He also questioned sexually explicit books on school shelves.

The scene on Monday during the Waterloo Catholic District School Board meeting in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, became chaotic after a journalist identified as Rebel News' David Manzies inquired about a purported tweet written by board member Wendy Ashby.

Ashby wrote in a now-deleted tweet that white Christian males are the "most dangerous creature on the planet," adding that "They're a Threat to anyone that is not them."

The tweet was screenshot and tweeted by a parent in the district.

Ashby wrote in another tweet, also screenshot and posted on Twitter, that "white women make obedient soldiers for the christofascist patriarchy."

Her account no longer exists, according to Twitter.

Manzies then got into a back-and-forth shouting match with Board Chair Tracy Weiler, who threatened to remove Manzies from the chamber if he continued to act out of order.

"Do you approve or condemn this racist, sexist, anti-Christian statement? Yes or no?" Manzies asked, receiving no response.

The audience then erupted with loud clapping in support of Manzies' questioning, essentially drowning out Weiler's voice. Guests then continuously chanted "Shame! Shame!" as the board members walked out of the room.

Ashby, a clinical counselor and psychotherapist who was elected in 2022, was not in attendance.

Newsweek has reached out to Ashby via phone and email for comment, and all members of the school board via email.

'Racist, misandrist and bigoted anti-Christ filth'

Campaign Life Coalition, a national anti-abortion organization in Canada, launched a petition last week calling for Ashby's immediate resignation. As of Tuesday, the petition received over 2,440 signatures.

The organization also published an open letter for parents and concerned stakeholders supporting Ashby's resignation to demonstrate at Monday's meeting. An outdoor protest also occurred.

"We're very pleased to see that parents and grandparents are waking up to learn just how rotten and corrupt the education system has become, and how dangerous is the filth these so-called 'education leaders' peddle to students—and that they're fighting back against it," Jack Fonseca, Campaign Life Coalition's director of political operations, told Newsweek via email.

Fonseca described Ashby's two tweets in question as "racist, misandrist and bigoted anti-Christ filth" that proved "this was no momentary lapse of reason on her part but rather a deep-seated racist and anti-Christian sentiment that she harbors."

When asked if the organization has corresponded directly with the Waterloo board members, Fonseca said it had not.

"We feel that grassroots approach is more effective and, in the end, is what will win the day for a return to decency, parental rights, and the teaching of academics in our school systems instead of ideology," he said.

A Canadian parent group called Parents as First Educators (PAFE) has also been vocal about pushing for Ashby's resignation, citing the board member in multiple blog posts—including her use of Twitter hashtags associated with the LGBTQ+ community that accompanied one of her posts.

"She appears to consider herself a social justice warrior, fighting for justice and acceptance for all!" PAFE wrote in an April 6 post. "But where is the representation for the white Christian males she so blatantly discriminates against?

"If these comments had been made towards anyone of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or Indigenous communities, the school board would have taken immediate action and removed her from position as trustee, especially as a Catholic school board."

Teresa Pierre, president of PAFE, told Newsweek via email that Ashby has had months to walk back the comments and now must face resignation. "There is no place for racism in Canadian public life," she said.

"Yesterday's scene shows that like an ostrich with its head in the sand," Pierre said. "This board is waiting and hoping that the drama will die down. ... Trustees left parents with more questions than answers: Does the board appreciate that the public no longer has confidence in Trustee Ashby? Will any repercussions follow for her hateful, bigoted remarks?

"The public is demanding a response from the board and will not allow silence to continue to prevail."

Update 04/25/23, 7:34 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Teresa Pierre.