Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association and Niagara Regional Police are on alert following two events earlier this year in Grimsby.
Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association and Niagara Regional Police are monitoring white nationalist and hate-related events and organizations in Niagara, including two events earlier this year Grimsby.
An executive committee member of Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA) says white nationalist groups have a growing presence in the peninsula.
“They are all over Niagara,” said Saleh Waziruddin. “There’s N-13, Second Sons, Dominion Society — it’s been recent in west Niagara.”
Waziruddin said the N-13 group was behind a demonstration across from the Tim Hortons drive-thru on Livingston Avenue in Grimsby on Jan. 24 and a Feb. 7 gathering on the Casablanca Boulevard bridge over the QEW.
In both incidents, masked people dressed in black were holding signs with pro-white, anti-immigration messages and giving the Nazi salute.
“They have a clear political agenda, which is anti-immigrant and white supremacy,” Waziruddin said. “It’s meant to intimidate and meant also to attract support.”
An employee at the Tim Hortons outlet, who did not wish to be identified, said the group of 10 to 20 people appeared out of nowhere.
“We were quite confused as to what was going on. It was customers that told us what was going on. (The group) made no effort to approach the store and we made no effort to become involved. It lasted approximately 10 minutes.”
Grimsby resident and NRARA member Jeff Johnston said he has not had any personal contact with white supremacist groups, adding they are not welcome in the town.
“This community is welcome to everyone, no matter who you are, but it is not welcome to hate,” Johnston said.
Stephanie Sabourin, manager of corporate communications for Niagara Regional Police, said it is aware of the recent Grimsby incidents.
“Any incident involving symbols or messaging linked to extremist or hate-motivated groups is taken seriously,” Sabourin said. “When reports like this are received, officers review the circumstances to determine whether any criminal offences have occurred and engage specialized units or community partners when appropriate.”
Sabourin said police continually monitor reports of hate-motivated activity and encourage people to report concerns or sightings of these groups in public so they can be assessed and investigated as needed.
Ameil Joseph, associate professor at the school of social service work at McMaster University, has been teaching about racism and racialization for the past 10 years and helped establish Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre.
He said the N-13, or Nationalist-13, group was founded in Hamilton and has been associated with demonstrations that are hateful in nature.
“They’re pretty forward about what they are up to,” Joseph said.
“What’s worrying is how little is being done in response to it.”
The number 13 in the group’s name, Joseph said, is linked to the letter M, the 13th letter in the alphabet, “which is about militancy.”
Joseph said white nationalist groups communicate and recruit using lesser-known social media outlets or apps and they have been strongly influenced by what is happening in the United States.
“I think we have a turn-back to a far more dangerous scenario right now, where the kinds of violence with the departments in the U.S. like ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the scooping up of immigrants and sometimes killing people in the streets and detaining folks and deporting folks, has allowed for some of these white nationalist groups to kind of pick up the banner (for mass deportation) and do so feeling like they are validated,” Joseph said.
Joseph said much more needs to be done by all levels of government to respond to hate groups and their demonstrations.
“I definitely think people should be thinking about how much we have been desensitized to this hate and we should clue in to the fact that these groups are militantly organizing in violent and extremist ways and it needs to be intervened upon before something worse happens,” Joseph said.
Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan said his town is welcoming, diverse and inclusive community and that hate or discrimination is not condoned in any form.
“Actions that seek to divide our community do not reflect the values of our residents, and we remain committed to ensuring Grimsby is a place where everyone feels safe and respected,” he said.
Hate incidents can be reported to the NRP by calling 905-688-4111 or emailing EDI@niagarapolice.ca.
Incidents can also be reported to Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association via info@nrara.org.
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