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Elections2026 BC ElectionB.C. Conservatives drop Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate over racist social media posts

B.C. Conservatives drop Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate over racist social media posts

The B.C. Conservatives have removed Joachim Agou as their candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill after several social media posts containing racist language and apparent support for violence surfaced Thursday.

BC NDP politician Amna Shah called on the Conservatives to remove Agou after drawing attention to three social media posts that have since been deleted.

In a post from June 2025, Agou shared a meme referring Pakistan as a “shithole.”

Under another post from Sept. 2025 featuring a video that claimed to be a vehicle attack on pro-Palestinian protestors, Agou commented “He should have reversed too!!!”

In November 2024, Agou appeared to express support for several far-right politicians and public figures, including Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is known for racist and anti-Islam rhetoric.

Images of social media posts by Joachim Agou
Images via X

Speaking at an unrelated news conference Thursday morning, interim B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson said he had not yet seen the posts but did not support the comments.

Doerkson issued a brief statement about an hour later.

“There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it. The candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill is no longer a Conservative candidate. If elected, he will not serve in the Caucus,” he said.

Agou responded to the controversy in a post on social media Thursday, saying he rejects accusations of racism and condemns all political violence.

He said he is still running for election in the Victoria–Beacon Hill riding.

“I take responsibility for my words, and I am sorry to everyone I hurt,” he said.

Agou said his comment on the video of the vehicle driving through a crowd of protestors was not in reference to nationality or faith.

“I reacted emotionally to the chaos and blocked streets around a protest,” he said. “I should have expressed myself more clearly and calmly.”

He said some of his older posts no longer reflect his views.

Emily Joveski
Emily Joveski
Emily Joveski is the provincial news reporter for Vista Radio, based in Victoria B.C. She has worked in radio for more than a decade, and was previously on the airwaves as a broadcaster for The Canadian Press in Toronto. When she's not at her desk, she might be found exploring Vancouver Island or loitering in a local book store.

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