HALIFAX—A crowd of at least 80 people gathered in downtown Halifax on Friday afternoon for a rally to support Nhlanhla Dlamini and to call for an end to anti-Black racism in the province’s workplaces.

Dlamini, 21, was shot in the back by a co-worker with a nail gun on Sept. 19 at a construction site in Abercrombie, Pictou County. On Oct. 4 his mother Stacey Dlamini told StarMetro the incident was the culmination of weeks of bullying and racist slights.

The workplace incident resulted in Dlamini undergoing emergency surgery for a collapsed and punctured lung and a four-day hospital stay.

“For everyone who says racism is no more, we stand here as witnesses today because of what has happened to this man,” said Rhonda Britton, pastor at New Horizons Baptist Church and one of the event’s speakers.

“You cannot deny Mr. Dlamini’s attack at his job and that it was racially motivated. It is a hate crime and we need to stop trying to whitewash that. We need to say what it is so that we can address it.”

The rally was occasionally peppered with honks of support from drivers passing by. The crowd gathered in front of the building at 1505 Barrington St. included Dlamini and his family.

As the young man looked around at the placards offering support for him and for all black workers, and as he listened intently to the speakers, he frequently teared up and dabbed at his eyes with Kleenex.

“He’s now out of work, not expected to go back to this toxic environment. Next time, one inch the other way or the other way he’d be dead now. I’d be attending his funeral,” said Raymond Sheppard, one of the rally organizers.

“So he can’t be expected to go back into the lion’s mouth. It’s not possible, and so he needs help and support. There should be some form of compensation for him. He did not initiate anything … This was perpetrated upon him.”

Another speaker, Angela Bowden, came from New Glasgow to attend the rally. She said it’s concerning that Black youth in Nova Scotia feel hopeless in these situations and that they continue to be targets of hateful attacks that aren’t being responded to with the urgency required.

“What we are collectively saying is we the Black community of Nova Scotia refuse to allow anyone to create another wound in our children to be left unhealed,” Bowden said. “Our children deserve better and we demand better. We seek justice. Period. Nothing special, just the law.”

When Dlamini had his turn at the microphone, he gave the crowd a few laughs, joking about how difficult his name was to pronounce. He briefly spoke about how he didn’t feel comfortable coming forward to his employer about the ongoing bullying before the nail gun shooting. He said being so new to his job, he didn’t want to make waves and feared he wouldn’t be believed. He expressed gratitude for the community supporting him and his family.

“I highly appreciate to know that I’ve got this much people … standing behind me for this situation. Thank you,” he said.

His father Buhle Dlamini also took a turn at the microphone. He said when they moved from South Africa to Canada to be closer to his wife’s family, he never expected to be dealing with this kind of situation. He thanked the crowd for standing up for justice and for supporting workers and his family.

“We know that what happened to Nhlanhla is not normal,” he said. “We know that what happened to Nhlanhla is not what Canada is about, it’s not what Nova Scotia is about, because of people like you who are here today to say this is not us, this is not OK.”

On Oct. 5, Shawn Wade Hynes, 43, of Trenton, N.S. was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm. The charge relates to a Sept. 19 incident at a work site in Abercrombie, N.S. Hynes was arrested on Sept. 27 and released the same day on the condition that he have no contact with the injured party, a 21-year-old man.

RCMP did not release the injured man’s name, but when StarMetro spoke to the mother of Nhlanhla Dlamini on Oct. 4 she said it was her son who was hurt. She believes her son was the target of racist bullying on the part of Hynes. None of the allegations have been proven in court, and Hynes is scheduled to appear in court in December.

On Oct. 10 work at the construction site where the incident occurred was halted in response to threats directed at the company that employed both the victim and the accused shooter.

While addressing the crowd gathered for Friday’s rally, Sheppard said supporters were calling on the RCMP to upgrade the charges from criminal negligence causing bodily harm to attempted murder and a hate crime.

On Friday afternoon, Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dal Hutchison said he could not comment on the charge because the case is now before the court.

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Sheppard said they are also calling for a thorough and immediate investigation by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education.

When reached for comment Friday afternoon, Department of Labour and Advanced Education spokesperson Shannon Kerr said they have responded to the incident and are conducting an inspection of the workplace in relation to the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act.

“Through our inspection, we will be verifying compliance, and this inspection will determine whether or not an investigation is required under the OHS Act. Harassment in the workplace, in any form, is unacceptable. The Nova Scotia Human Rights Act specifically prohibits harassment associated with protected characteristics such as race, religion, and age,” Kerr said in an emailed statement.

“Workers who have experienced this type of harassment can file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. Where this is a matter before the courts, and as our inspection is ongoing, we cannot speak to specifics of this case.”

Yvette d’Entremont is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on health and environment. Follow her on Twitter: @ydentremont

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