A video from a Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Board meeting from five months ago is making the rounds.
The video is from a meeting on January 18th 2017 which is broadcast live and available on YouTube.
During the meeting Welland Mayor Frank Campion and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati are seen raising their hands in the air and laughing.
The video is making the rounds today with some, including Councillor Carolynn Ioannoni stating on social media that the two took part in a hateful nazi salute.
You can see it at the 5:15:30 mark.
A joint statement has been released to CKTB News by Mayor Frank Campion and Mayor Jim Diodati.
“Unfortunately, our actions were gestures meant in light and a silly imitation of another Councillor’s unique hand-raising style.
They were not meant as anti-Semitic. Our actions in no way represent our genuine views and values. We have both apologized to those who felt offended.
We feel strongly that we would never want our actions to be taken out of context or misinterpreted.
This weekend, we reached out to members of the Jewish community to share our sentiments, as well.
We can both say that we certainly feel this to be a learning experience and appreciate the comments of the community, but want to be clear that we don’t want the intentions of our actions to be misconstrued.”Mayor Jim Diodati and Mayor Frank Campion