The tiny Canadian village of Westport, Ontario, is known for its idyllic scenery, surrounded by serene ponds and lakes. But in recent months, the village's tranquil image has been tarnished by reports of a string of attacks on Asian anglers, mostly of Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean descent.
According to anglers' stories, they have been threatened, pelted with stones and targeted in 'nipper-tipping' - a practice of pushing unsuspecting fishermen off docks and bridges into the water and so-named after the disparaging term for Japanese, 'nip'.
But while some blame racial discrimination, others claim the incidents have arisen from community frustration over poaching and other illegal fishing practices.
In a recent report, the province's Ontario Human Rights Commission recorded at least 11 'serious incidents' in which Asian-Canadian anglers were targeted in Westport and other rural communities in the province, between April and October of last year. The commission, which operates at an arm's length from the government, is now grappling with ways to deter the assaults.
In one incident, a 13-year-old boy was pushed into the water as he was fishing with his father, while a 72-year-old man was also pushed and his fishing gear damaged.
In another case, the commission noted that a group of men pushed two anglers off a bridge, injuring one of them 'very seriously'. The commission did not give details, nor did it mention the ethnicity of the victims, stating only that they were Asian-Canadian.
'These incidents remind us that racism and racial discrimination exist in Ontario and show how harmful such events can be for all of us,' said chief commissioner Barbara Hall. 'What is clear is that the simple activity of going fishing for some Asian-Canadian anglers has taken on very disturbing racial overtones.'