There has been a rise in white supremacist across Canada. A shooting on Yom Kippur outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, was a “premeditated and targeted” attack on the Jewish community, the police chief says.
Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd provided an update on the Sept. 20 shooting on Thursday and revealed that based on the evidence gathered so far, investigators determined that the incident was a hate-motivated crime.
“This was a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community during one of the holiest observances of the year,” Rodd said.
During the news conference, police played a short video of the shooting outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue.
In the footage, as gunshots ring out, the suspect, identified by police as 29-year-old Sean Ward, is heard saying to Smith, “You are going to die for the Jews?”
“The suspect had the means, the motive, and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue. The loss of life and irreversible damage that could have rippled through our community for generations cannot be overstated,” Rodd said.
Islamophobic post have also recently appeared on social media.
“As a Canadian-trained lawyer and law professor, I believe this goes beyond being merely offensive,” says Faisal Kutty responsing on social media.
“Most reasonable people will recognize this for what it is: the glorification of violence against Muslims. The image portrays Muslims not as human beings, but as prey to be hunted—with no bagging limit.”
“Muslims are an “identifiable group” under the Criminal Code because they are distinguished by religion. In my view, says Kutty.
“Publicly circulating imagery that encourages people to “hunt” Muslims raises a serious question under s. 319(2), which prohibits the wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group,” says Kutty.
“That is not a declaration of guilt. Whether the offence is established would depend on the full context, proof of the required intent and any available defences. That determination belongs to police, prosecutors and ultimately a court. But this is precisely the kind of public communication that warrants scrutiny under Canada’s hate-propaganda laws.” says Kutty.
“What concerns me almost as much as the post itself is the audience: the person sharing it has 28,000 followers. This is not hatred muttered in some obscure corner of the internet. It is being broadcast, normalized and amplified in plain sight,” says Kutty.
Photo: Photo posted to X. Masked individuals appearing to be associated with Second Sons Canada display a “Got bones?” banner from the Pacific Way overpass in Kamloops on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. The photo was posted to X by multiple users.Police probe masked group
Police say they are actively investigating after more than a dozen masked individuals allegedly associated with a white supremacist group were spotted Sunday near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Photos and videos posted online show the group later marching to the Pacific Way overpass, where members held a banner reading “Got bones?” above the Trans-Canada Highway.
“We’re looking into the matter, we’re still investigating,” Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Andy Lot told Castanet on Sunday night.
He said Mounties expect to have more information to provide Monday.
Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said Sunday the individuals appear to be associated with Second Sons Canada, a men’s nationalist group founded in 2024.
The group describes itself as focused on fitness, camaraderie and political activism. On its website, it says it opposes what it calls the “mass importation” of immigrants and argues Canada’s political establishment is influenced by “globalist forces.”
Castanet asked Second Sons Canada whether they were present in Kamloops on Sunday and what they were doing, but received no response.
Casimir said the band’s leadership is taking the group’s presence seriously, monitoring the situation and considering additional security measures ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.
Condemnation from leaders
The appearance of the masked group drew condemnation from political leaders Sunday.
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Frank Caputo first described the incident as “disgusting behaviour,” then issued a sharper statement later in the day.
“Screw off. Go home. Never come back. Reflect on your poor decisions,” Caputo wrote on X, calling the participants “cowards” who refused to show their faces. He said he planned to contact Tk’emlups leadership to offer his support.
The City of Kamloops also issued a statement saying it stands with Tk’emlups and condemns racism, denialism and hate.
“There is no place for hate in Secwepemcul’ecw,” the statement reads.
New Democrat Leader David Eby and B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson both condemned the gathering Sunday, describing the incident as hateful and intimidating.
“I take some comfort in the fact that they felt they had to wear masks and hide their identity, that they know that the retribution would be severe and instant if they showed who they are,” Eby told reporters on Sunday.
“We have seen a rise in this kind of white nationalist behaviour in the province and we’ve got to do more to fight it — that much is very clear.”
Tk’emlups made international headlines in 2021 after announcing that ground-penetrating radar identified more than 200 burial sites near the former residential school.
The areas have not been excavated and the band now refers to the findings as anomalies. Casimir has said the investigation is ongoing.
There has been a rise in white Supremacist activity in Canada.
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