Silke Schulze, as featured in Inked magazine.
Image Credit: inkedmag.com
February 18, 2022 - 1:43 PM
An Oliver woman who unleashed a racist tirade at a teenager during a protest outside a high school a week ago has apologized for her actions.
In a letter to the Penticton Herald, Silke Schulze says she is "not a racist" and there was "absolutely no excuse" for her behaviour.
A video of the Feb. 11 incident outside the South Okanagan Secondary School in Oliver quickly went viral and showed Schulze getting into a heated argument with several students during a protest outside the school.
In the video Schulze tells an Indo-Canadian student, "I deserve to be in this country, do you?" before saying she should go back to her country.
READ MORE: iN VIDEO: RCMP investigating 'racist rant' by COVID mandate protestor at Oliver high school
In the letter, Schulze says she wants to offer the community a "deep and sincere apology."
"The words, tone and actions I used were completely inappropriate, does not convey my true feelings and should have just never been used … to a minor, adult or otherwise," the letter reads. "I want to make it clear that despite the distasteful comments that I did make, I am not a racist."
It turns out Schulze is actually an immigrant to Canada herself.
"I too am from another country and therefore can relate to not being originally from here," she says in the letter. "I have had mixed friends my entire life and am even proud to say that three of my five children are not of white descent either."
Schulze says she was born in Germany and moved to Canada at the age of six, in an interview with the Herald.
An open letter from the syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance says the incident was "traumatic" for the victim and those who witnessed it.
"They will have this racist and bigoted memory for life. School grounds and school children are to be 'off limits' from any protesting racist adults. We are extremely concerned for the safety of our women, youth and are calling for an appropriate response," Chief Greg Gabriel says in the letter.
Oliver RCMP has confirmed Schulze has been issued a $2,300 ticket under the Access to Services (Covid-19) Act.
The Act prohibits protests within 20 metres of a school.
In a recent interview with tattoo magazine Inked, which Schulze entered its Covergirl competition, she says she is "full of love, gratitude and hope."
"Happiness is a choice, and that is how I choose to live today," she told the magazine. She came eighth in her group.
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