Outrage over comedy group's Robert Pickton T-shirts sparks protest

Controversial comedy troupe Danger Cats performed in Vancouver Sunday, despite a crowd of protesters gathered outside the downtown venue, which later apologized via social media for hosting the act.

A previously scheduled Danger Cats show was cancelled in Metro Vancouver in February. That show generated outcry due to the troupe's online sale of T-shirts that protesters said made light of serial killer Robert Pickton's victims.

Pickton targeted sex workers and vulnerable women in the Downtown Eastside, and many of his victims were Indigenous women. 

One of those victims has been identified as Tanya Holyk, whose cousin Lorelei Williams was at Sunday's protest. 

"These views perpetuate dangerous stereotypes and discrimination," Williams said of the Danger Cats T-shirt. "It was this very discrimination that allowed Pickton and his associates to prey upon these women for so long."

The T-shirt shows a caricature of Pickton holding a bacon strip underneath the words "Pickton Farms." Under the caricature is the text "Over 50 flavours of hookery smoked bacon." 

Williams said that the Danger Cats' T-shirts and attitude toward Pickton and his victims "needs to be deemed hate speech."

"Our government has committed to reconciliation, had acknowledged that a genocide has and continues to occur in this country and therefore must take action to clearly denounce any speech that promotes the disgusting narrative that racist, misogynist violence against Indigenous women and girls is a joke."

CBC News reached out to the Danger Cats after the Sunday night protest, but has not received a response. The Canadian comedy trio is comprised of Sam Walker, Brett Forte and Uncle Hack. 

The remains or DNA of 33 women were found on Pickton's pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., about 25 kilometres east of downtown Vancouver. He once boasted to an undercover police officer that he killed 49 women. 

He was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of full parole for 25 years.

Sunday's show was held at a gym that apologized Monday in a statement posted on Instagram for what it called a "grave mistake."

The statement from F45 Training Vancouver Chinatown said the space was outsourced for private events and a third party handled bookings. 

"Unfortunately, a mistake was made, and proper vetting of the event organizers did not occur," the statement said.