‘Public and open with their hate’: Masked white nationalist group marches at popular Niagara monument
A University of Winnipeg professor says Second Sons Canada was testing the waters with its military-style rally at Queenston Heights, and that the choice do do so at Brock’s Monument was symbolic.
Members of the white nationalist group Second Sons Canada rally at Queenston Heights Park during the Labour Day weekend.
One of Canada’s emerging white nationalist clubs held what is believed to be its first public rally and chose Brock’s Monument in Niagara over the long weekend to do it.
In posts to social media, dozens of men wearing white face coverings and matching shirts emblazoned with maple leafs marched military-style to the Queenston Heights heritage site in Niagara-on-the-Lake, chanting “Leafs fight back” as members of Second Sons Canada.
One video showed more than 50 men, many wearing sunglasses and hats to further conceal their identities in a manner echoing the outfits of the Patriot Front, one of the largest white nationalist groups in the United States, lined up at the monument chanting the group’s slogan, “All thy sons.”
The rally happened while the popular park, frequented by locals and tourists, was in use by members of the public, as onlookers can be seen in one video, including women with and without hijabs.
Members of the white nationalist group Second Sons Canada line up in Queenston Heights Park.
@postyonx/X screenshotIt was the first known public gathering of its kind by the group in Niagara, though a report by CBC’s visual investigations team in July into white nationalist “active clubs” found the group was present in the area and had been using a Welland gym to train.
Saleh Waziruddin of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association said members have noticed people linked with Diagolon, a far-right extremist group of which Second Sons is an offshoot, showing up to various events to disrupt them in the past, but the rally is a first.
“We knew they were there and they would show up, maybe in ones and twos,” Waziruddin said.
“But now we know, from even the earlier story of when they were organizing in a gym, that there’s many more of them willing to be public and open with their hate.”
Diagolon was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic as an anti-government and anti-institution movement by social media influencer Jeremy MacKenzie, who launched Second Sons Canada earlier this year and led the march at Queenston Heights.
Second Sons Canada’s first known sighting was reported by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network after the group gathered at a cenotaph for Canadian soldiers in Dartmouth, N.S., in March and took photos and videos.
Kawser Ahmed, a professor of political science at University of Winnipeg, said choosing the Niagara monument for Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, who was killed in battle in the War of 1812, was symbolic.
He said the site has symbolism of British imperialism, settler nationalism and military defence.
“This is something very common in white supremacist groups throughout the Western world, Europe, the U.S., Australia and here,” he said.
“This is the symbolism they often pick up, because they think that these countries were founded by Anglo-Saxons and there’s no place for the immigrants to come here.”
A University of Winnipeg professor says a Second Sons Canada march toward Brock’s Monument was symbolic.
@Derekrants/XOne video showing scenes from the Niagara rally was posted on Second Sons Canada’s X site, formerly Twitter, with the statement, “Canadian Nationalism is inevitable. Remigration is coming.”
Niagara Parks, which owns and maintains Queenston Heights Park, said neither Niagara Parks nor Niagara Parks Police was aware of the event. A spokesperson for the agency said Second Sons Canada did not have a permit or permission from Niagara Parks or its police service to gather at the site.
“Upon review, our understanding is that the rally remained peaceful and no incidents were reported. We did not receive any complaints from the public,” a statement from Niagara Parks said.
“With that said, Niagara Parks and the Niagara Parks Police Service do not condone the actions of the Second Sons, nor the beliefs that the group represents.”
Uniformed officers for the Niagara Regional Police did respond to Brock’s Monument at about 7 p.m. Saturday for a reported nuisance call for service. Police said an initial investigation found a group of individuals had left the scene prior to NRP’s arrival. No criminal activity was reported and police said the identity of the group present was “unknown.”
While police are not certain the call was related to the rally, videos of the Second Sons Canada event at the monument were posted to X later that night and early Sunday morning.
Ahmed, whose research includes radicalism and violent extremism, said Second Sons Canada is “testing the waters” with its public display at the site.
He said the group is aware that in Canada, specifically, there are anti-hate laws and other statutory laws such as the online harms bill that are fairly strict. While Canada must balance charter rights, freedom of expression and freedom of association, the group saw after the pandemic’s so-called “Freedom Convoy” that many participants were tried in a court of law.
“They’re aware of the risks and one of the reasons why Diagolon has morphed into Second Sons Canada is because of this security threat. So this is why you are not seeing them publicly, let’s say, occupying some places in public space, but they’re coming out,” he said.
“They’re being more visible. That is the start. They want to test the waters and see what law enforcement agencies do.”
Second Sons Canada said on its website it is a Canadian men’s nationalist club “dedicated to health and fitness, camaraderie, activism and friendly support for those who share our values.”
A background check, fitness standard and club fees are required to become a member.
The site said members wear masks in public to protect themselves and their families because the western world has become “dramatically polarized, politicized and divided” and people who find themselves on the outside of “accepted social norms” can expect to be threatened and harassed.
The group posted on its X account Monday it had received “an avalanche of applications” over 48 hours.
The Second Sons Canada rally at Brock’s Monument in Queenston Heights Park on Saturday.
@JeremyMacKenzi/X screenshotWaziruddin said people, even in countries beyond Canada, are blaming migrants for the housing and economic crisis and groups like this are taking advantage of that.
“Even the (Prime Minister Mark) Carney government’s policy of capping international students, temporary foreign workers, saying it’s because of this housing crisis, that gives some legitimacy to the idea that migrants are to blame for the economic and housing problems,” he said.
“And so that could get more people recruited to these kind of groups like Second Sons. You could have more people showing up and instead of showing up in ones and twos, they could up in tens and hundreds at different events to disrupt them.”
Waziruddin said people need to be aware these groups are growing so they can be stopped whenever they “go to the next level.”
“That’s their trajectory, that’s the direction they’re going. They’re saying it themselves, they’re at the cusp of getting into a higher level or an order of magnitude of what they can do.”
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