Patrick Gordon Macdonald, known for years as Dark Foreigner, chose to enter a plea of not guilty in court today.
Peter Smith
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
An image of Patrick Gordon Macdonald during a gala taken in December 2023 by photographer Paul Couvrette (left) and an image created by The Dark Foreigner (right). Source: Scottish Society website/Telegram
The trial began Monday for a man facing terrorism charges for his work as a propagandist for the Atomwaffen Division.
Patrick Gordon Macdonald, better known by his pseudonym Dark Foreigner, is accused of participating in the activity of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, and the commission of offence for a terrorist group.
Taking place in an Ottawa courtroom, Macdonald was previously released on bail after being arrested in July 2023. He entered a plea of not guilty before the court.
According to law enforcement, in April 2020, INSET received information on individuals allegedly involved in the activities of the terrorist group Atomwaffen Division.
Macdonald’s Ottawa home was the subject of a raid in March 2022, while a separate search took place in central Quebec in June of that year, also in relation to the Atomwaffen Division.
Dark Foreigner’s identity was a long closely held secret until 2021 when Macdonald’s identity was uncovered by Vice World News. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) assisted Vice in uncovering images of Macdonald, as well as his social media footprint.
A much more recent picture of Macdonald attending a dinner in Ottawa from December 2023 was found by the Red Table Collective and shared with CAHN.
An image of Patrick Gordan Macdonald during a gala taken in December 2023 by event photographer Paul Couvrette. Source: Scottish Society website
Police allege he “participated in and facilitated the creation, production and distribution of three terrorist propaganda videos.”
This material was intended to both promote and recruit members into AWD, as well as “encourages the commission of terrorist activities.”
The Atomwaffen Division was designated a terrorist entity by the Government of Canada in 2021. It is also an offence to knowingly participate in or contribute to any activity of a designated terrorist group, according to the government, though this participation is only an offence if its purpose is to enhance the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out terrorist activity.
The current designated list includes 60 different organizations, including the Taliban, the Islamic State, and as of 2019, Blood & Honour and its self-described militant wing Combat 18 were both designated.
These were the first white terror organizations to be classified this way in Canada.
Multiple independent sources have told CAHN that Patrick Gordon Macdonald was at one time a member of the Ottawa Active Club.
Active Clubs are a global decentralized movement of white-only workout clubs with chapters across Europe and North America. A previous investigation by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network discovered that Active Clubs across Canada are being run by members and affiliates of the Vinland Hammerskins, a violent white power gang.
The Atomwaffen Division was formed on the Iron March web forum -- a former digital home for fascist discussion, organizing, and propaganda creation. In 2020, James Mason, author of the book Siege who was later given the same designation as AWD, announced the group was disbanding.
The court also heard a breakdown by investigators that matched the location of a second video to a former schoolhouse in rural Quebec.
A 3D printer, a framed picture of Adolf Hitler, and a knife with Nazi symbols were found in Patrick Macdonald’s home.