The Terry Fox Foundation has denounced the use of the iconic Terry Fox image in a ‘United We Roll’ campaign poster, calling the use of its namesake ‘disturbing.’
The poster, which has appeared online and pasted in cities across Canada, showcases a collage of photographs, including a sepia Terry Fox, Canadian solidiers, and saluting Mounties—along with a trio of semi trucks.
“Whatever their intention was and whatever background they have, they have nothing to do with the foundation,” said Britt Andersen, executive director of the B.C.-based Terry Fox Foundation.
Two days before the ‘United We Roll’ convoy arrived in Ottawa, Andersen received a photo of a poster from one of its run-organizers in Saskatchewan. After calling a number listed on the poster belonging to 'United We Roll' organizer Jason Corbeil, Andersen was assured the protestors would edit out Terry Fox.
Setting out from Red Deer, Alta. on Valentine’s Day, ‘United We Roll’ arrived in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 19 to protest federal energy and environmental policies.
The convoy was originally organized as a protest under the banner of the ‘Yellow Vests,’ an international protest movement that has become a magnet for white supremacist and anti-immigrant groups.
Hey @TerryFoxCanada, do you support the racist and ignorant views promoted by @unitedconvoy and #YellowVestsCanada? The likeness of Terry Fox is being used to promote the racist #ConvoyToOttawa. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/JT2eFNKaVw
— The Girl Who Waited (@dontevenblink) February 17, 2019
While in the past, the Terry Fox Foundation has intervened to stop the sale of Terry Fox’s image emblazoned on t-shirts and beer mugs, this is one of the first times an image of the iconic Canadian was used to market a political message, said Andersen.
In 2015, the Terry Fox Foundation was thrown into controversy when then Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a $35 million campaign pledge in what many saw as an overt attempt to politicize the traditionally non-partisan organization.
“He was iconic because there was so much authenticity and purity in what he was achieving and what he did,” Andersen told the Tri-City News. “It becomes harder and harder to police that stuff when it can truly go viral.”
In the future, Andersen said that if this continues, the foundation will have to dedicate more people and resources to track down unauthorized uses of Terry Fox’s likeness. And that, he said, means less money for cancer research.
— with files from the Canadian Press
