The morning after B.C.’s election, a dozen masked men stood on the steps of the legislature displaying a white nationalist slogan.
In pictures obtained by The Tyee, taken by passersby Sunday morning, 13 masked men could be seen walking across the lawn of the legislature before posing in front of B.C.’s seat of democracy to take photos.
Photos of the stunt were also posted to Reddit, showing the same men reportedly rallying across the street of the legislature at Confederation Garden Park.
On their sign, the group identified themselves as the “Loyalist Pioneers.” Anti-extremist researchers say they’re white nationalists.
“There are numerous other localized groups across the country that have adopted the White Nationalism 3.0 model. For example, ISD’s qualitative analysis of social media channels has identified groups going by names such as the ‘Toronto Pioneers,’ ‘Loyalist Pioneers,’ ‘Manitoba Active Club,’ and ‘Ordo Atlantica,’ among others,” writes Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) researcher Steven Rai in a report from March.
Rai describes White Nationalist 3.0 as an active, decentralized, global network of groups “which promote male camaraderie, physical fitness, and combat sports as conduits into white supremacist activism and violence.”
The white nationalist group that appeared in the capital city Sunday morning held a sign reading “remigration saves our nation.”
“Remigration – it means racist, mass deportation. It really is as simple as that,” said Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
On their sign were also “common symbols” used for decades by white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Canada, like an altered crest from the red ensign, an old Canadian emblem, “to symbolize when Canada was whiter,” according to Balgord.
The stunt in Victoria Sunday is strikingly similar to one held near a Kamloops residential school last month, where 21 masked men in black fatigues, boots and ballcaps marched militaristically, holding black ensign flags, before and draping a banner over an overpass reading “got bones?,” questioning the deaths of children at residential schools.
That publicity act was linked to the white nationalist group Second Sons Canada and denounced by all provincial political leaders, the Kamloops RCMP and Canada’s prime minister.
At a press conference Sunday, his first day on the job, B.C.’s Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson echoed similar disappointment.
“It’s unfortunate. I’m sad to hear that,” Doerkson. “There’s probably words that I can’t say now. But that is frustrating, to say the least. But we will act with every part of the law that we can to protect our residents from this kind of hate.”
The Victoria Police Department say they didn’t receive any calls for service during the brief event Sunday morning, and noted that while freedom of expression is a Charter right, “threats, intimidation and criminal acts motivated by hate will not be tolerated.”
VicPD says it “works with partner agencies to monitor groups that promote hate,” but did not confirm if it was notifying those partner agencies about Sunday’s stunt.
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