Jeremy MacKenzie was recently arrested and is now facing the possibility of a slew of gun charges after an incident involving a handgun in a Nova Scotia business.
Peter Smith
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Image source: Jeremy MacKenzie/Telegram
Jeremy MacKenzie, a former military combat veteran and popular figurehead of the conspiracy-laden Plaid Army streaming collective, is now facing charges after allegedly brandishing a firearm while in a Nova Scotia business.
According to a release, Inverness County District RCMP arrested a man for firearms offences after executing a search warrant at a home in Pictou County. Police would not officially confirm the man in question was MacKenzie.
First reported by Frank Magazine, an investigation reportedly began on January 10, 2022, “after a video was posted to social media of a man, in a business, waving a handgun around in a reckless manner and allegedly having an overcapacity magazine.”
Police said they determined the incident occurred on Whycocomagh Mountain Road in Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia.
“On January 26, as part of the investigation, police executed a search warrant at a home on High St. in Pictou,” the RCMP say in their release. “During the search, police located and seized five restricted firearms including rifles and handguns, one unrestricted firearm, prohibited magazines, ammunition, body armour, a duty belt with attached holster and magazine pouches and cellular phones.”
According to law enforcement, the suspect, “a 35-year-old Pictou man,” attended the Pictou RCMP Detachment prior to the search warrant execution and was arrested without incident. He was later released on conditions, which include that he does not possess any firearms, weapons, ammunition or explosive substances.
Police said this morning that charges have not been filed and could not officially confirm this was MacKenzie. The suspect is facing potential charges of Careless Use of a Firearm, Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Device, Possession of a Prohibited Device Knowing Its Possession is Unauthorized, Possession of a Firearm at an Unauthorized Place.
He is expected to appear in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court on May 30.
In late January, MacKenzie travelled from Nova Scotia to Ottawa for the “Freedom Convoy,” participating in the event at Parliament Hill on Sunday afternoon and again on Monday. While there, he spent time with members of Canada First, led by white nationalist Tyler Russell. Canada First is a racist, antisemitic network of Groypers – followers of American white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
L-R: Jeremy MacKenzie, Canada First’s Tyler Russell, and Dan Sleno pictured in Ottawa. Source: Jeremy MacKenzie/Telegram
Before the main rally on Saturday, news outlets made note of the statement made during a Plaid Army live stream by Derek “Rants” Harrison saying he hoped to see an event in Ottawa similar to the events at the US Capitol building on January 6. The resulting attention led Harrison and others to take a much more subdued approach to their attendance, with Jeremy MacKenzie and Derek Harrison holed up in their hotel rooms on Saturday.
Citing an inevitable false flag plot to foil convoy supporters, and showing his followers two police cruisers parked outside his hotel in a video upload, MacKenzie and Harrison instead chose to stream throughout the day, saying earlier that it would be proof they were not present on the Hill.
People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier paid a visit to MacKenzie and Harrison at their hotel while they were in Ottawa. Bernier has repeatedly refused to distance himself from the Plaid Army and has boosted MacKenzie’s posts in the past.
MacKenzie also appeared on the conspiracy-fueled InfoWars hosted by Alex Jones while in Ottawa to discuss the protest.
MacKenzie is the original creator of the concept of Diagolon, a fictional country running diagonally from Alaska southeast towards Florida. Stating this new country would encompass all the “sane” regions of North America, what began as a joke has broadened as a symbol for his larger community of supporters. United behind “ol’ slashy,” a black flag with a large white line cutting diagonally through the middle, supporters of his cause also have embraced MacKenzie’s phrase of “Gun Or Rope” when it comes to dealing with their ideological enemies, as well as the government.
Beyond the violent rhetoric, the cross country Diagolon network recently began organizing into in-person groups – a move they believe helps avoid widespread infiltration by law enforcement and antifascist activists. While many of these meet-ups have been benign, others include days on the shooting ranges and members actively discussing preparing for a coming and inevitable conflict.
In response to criticism, MacKenzie vehemently denies accusations of racism and antisemitism levelled against him and the digital community he presides over, regularly pointing to racialized members within it.
This despite pushing well-worn conspiracy theories about outsized Jewish control over global affairs and governance, his assertion that there is already a “race war” taking place within the United States, and mentions of the “slow genocide” against white European people within the west.
“Fantastic, but be peaceful as you’re being massacred, as the slow-motion genocide continues,” he said during a July 2021 stream.
“Accelerate, accelerate, there’s no way out. This is going to come to total shit, so let’s just get it over with. If you’re going to be in a fight, hit first, Vladimir Putin said that.”
Other streams from MacKenzie include overt threats against political and public figures, including health officials.
This will likely lead to me being trolled by accounts with Sonnenrads for avatars, but it's time we discuss the threats being made by Jeremy Mackenzie.
— Tony vs. The #COVIDConvoy (@TonyYvce) October 3, 2021
This guy: https://t.co/AGd6HHj3IG
CW: violence, Nazi imagery, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Antisemitism
1/16 pic.twitter.com/OIgcxXWd4T
More recent streams include calling the US-based white nationalist group Patriot Front “basically our American counterpart.” Mackenzie has also repeatedly alluded to committing violence against journalists, told his followers not to speak with them, and blamed the media for the divisions he sees in society.
“This is the media’s baby. They built and supported it, and pushed for this race war, this civil war. They wanted it, this was their idea. It’s only fair that they be involved in the violence. They do all the work setting it up and they don’t even get to play. I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t think they should be left out. That’s bigotry really. To exclude the media from all the destruction.
“Because they did most of the work to set it up, it only makes sense that they should receive some of the dividends of their labour.”
Jeremy MacKenzie declined to comment on the specifics of this article.
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