A Victoria candidate who was dropped by the Conservative Party of BC over controversial social media posts has issued a public apology, rejected allegations of racism and announced he intends to continue campaigning as an Independent.
Joachim Agou, who was running for the BC Conservatives in Victoria-Beacon Hill, was removed from the party’s election slate on Thursday, October 8th, after screenshots of several of his past social media posts circulated online.
The controversy prompted calls from the BC NDP for his removal, followed by a swift decision from Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson.
By Friday, Agou had publicly apologized for his remarks, although he maintained that accusations of racism did not reflect his beliefs.
The controversy centred on three social media posts from 2024 and 2025 that were highlighted by BC NDP candidate Amna Shah on Thursday morning.
One of the posts, dated September 7th, 2025, showed a video of a vehicle driving into a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Agou responded in French, writing, “Il aurait du faire une marche arrière aussi,” which translates to “He should have reversed too.”
The comment appeared to suggest that the driver should have backed the vehicle over demonstrators after driving through the crowd.
Another post, dated June 26th, 2025, featured a meme depicting US President Donald Trump looking out of an airplane window.
The meme used an expletive to describe Pakistan before suggesting that the location pictured was actually London, England.
A third post, dated November 6th, 2024, showed Agou reposting a message promoting several conservative and far-right political figures under the slogan “Make the West Great Again.”
Among those featured were Trump, Elon Musk, Dutch politician Geert Wilders, France’s Marine Le Pen, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Portugal’s André Ventura and Spain’s Santiago Abascal.
Agou added celebratory emojis to the repost.
Screenshots of the posts were shared publicly after the NDP raised concerns. Agou’s X account subsequently became inaccessible, although more recent reporting indicates it has returned with its posts protected.
Absolutely horrific racism from this Conservative candidate.
Attacking the Pakistani community as “a sh*thole,” joking about killing protestors, celebrating white supremacist figures.
There’s only one way for Lorne Doerkson to respond: fire this candidate immediately. https://t.co/8pgMyniYLY
— Amna Shah (@amnashahbc) October 8, 2026
On Thursday morning, Amna Shah, the NDP candidate for Surrey City Centre, publicly criticized Agou’s posts and called on the Conservative Party to remove him.
Shah characterized the comments as racist and questioned why Agou had been approved as a candidate.
The BC NDP also distributed a media release outlining the posts and calling for action from Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson.
Premier David Eby subsequently weighed in on X, calling on the Conservatives to remove Agou and other candidates who spread hate.
Eby said nobody should face hateful comments, particularly from someone representing a major political party.
The NDP’s statements were political criticisms of Agou’s conduct. Agou has since disputed the accusation that he is racist.
Doerkson was asked about the posts during a campaign announcement in Surrey on Thursday, where the Conservatives were unveiling a proposed income-tax reduction.
At the time, Doerkson told reporters he had not seen the posts but said he would investigate immediately.
“I of course would never support that,” Doerkson said when the comments were described to him.
He added that he would review the allegations as soon as he left the podium.
Approximately 90 minutes after the controversy was raised publicly, the Conservatives announced Agou’s removal.
“There is no excuse for this,” Doerkson said in a written statement.
“I will not tolerate it.”
The party confirmed Agou was no longer its Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate and would not be permitted to join the BC Conservative caucus if elected.
His biography was also removed from the party’s website.
Agou issues public apology
Following his removal, Agou published a statement on social media apologizing for his previous comments.
In the statement, he acknowledged that his words had hurt people and accepted responsibility for them.
“I take responsibility for my words, and I am sorry to everyone I hurt. I am truly sorry!” he wrote.
However, Agou rejected the suggestion that he is racist, saying he respects people from all backgrounds, religious beliefs and sexual orientations.
“Everyone deserves equal dignity, respect and safety,” he added.
Agou also addressed his earlier comment about the vehicle driving through pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
He said he should have expressed himself more clearly and calmly, explaining that he believes demonstrations should not bring cities to a standstill or put people’s lives at risk.
View this post on Instagram
He also acknowledged that some of his older reposts no longer represent his views.
“People learn and change — I have too,” Agou wrote.
His apology did not specifically address the Pakistan-related meme, according to reporting that examined the statement.
Agou said he understood the Conservative Party’s decision to withdraw its support, but confirmed he intends to remain in the election race as an independent in the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding.
He said his campaigning would continue to focus on health care, housing affordability, everyday costs and public safety.
The riding is currently represented by BC NDP MLA Grace Lore, and the party has held Victoria-Beacon Hill since 2005.
According to his campaign website, Agou is a professional engineer, father and small-business owner living in Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood.
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