After 17 black-clad protesters staged a short protest in a Canadian city, the group behind it is being shy about their role.
Peter Smith
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Source: Facebook
A group of masked individuals appeared in downtown Hamilton last week holding a large homemade sign reading “Mass Deportations Now.”
Held near Hamilton, Ontario’s Jackson Square mall, over a dozen people dressed all in black gathered to hold the sign on November 9. Unlike other similar protests, no particular group claimed the action as their own.
Response from the community and public officials condemning the protest was swift, as statements and press conferences denounced the participants.
This included MP for Hamilton Centre Matthew Green who said that “Hamilton is no place for fascist rhetoric, intimidation, or hate” and that the demonstration “seeks to undermine the very principles of compassion, diversity, and unity that define” the city.
The people who staged the protest took efforts to hide their identities, but there are some indications of who may be responsible.
Nationalist-13, a group of avowed National Socialists run by the former Steel City Proud Boys, operates out of Hamilton. While they did not claim any credit for the event, they have been posting about it on their social media channels.
This includes the release of a video on Friday, November 15, showing the moments before the protest. In the footage at least 17 men lined up and marched to the site. The post included a caption saying that the video was sent by someone with “intimate knowledge of the ‘Mass Deportations Now’ protest in Hamilton.”
They add that the organization that carried out the protest would be taking credit “soon.”
Nationalist-13 made a separate post the same day showing several members allegedly gathered for a group workout. The group has been seen multiple times holding boxing lessons in matching polo shirts in Hamilton public parks and more recently a local gym.
Comparisons of the sunglasses and clothing worn by members of Nationalist-13 and certain members of the immigration protest show a similarity, but are not definitive. Other groups who use similar protest tactics include the Canadian branch of White Lives Matter (WLM), a racist and fascist protest group active in the US and Europe.
WLM Canada is best known for hosting a series of poorly attended public protests, typically with members dressed all in black, outside of government and public buildings.
With little information released by the participants, the purpose of the protest, beyond advocating for deportations, has not been publicized.
There has been a growing problem in Canada of racism and discrimination targeting immigrants, particularly South Asian communities. These campaigns frequently call for mass deportations, not just of new Canadians, but any individual not of European descent.
The protest comes on the heels of the election of Donald Trump to his second term as president of the United States of America and Trump made the promise to deport undocumented migrants a promise of his campaign.
The protests bear a striking similarity to those carried out by the National Socialist Network (NSN). Based in Australia, NSN protests involve large public displays of numbers, as members gather all dressed in black to protest. While they do not display a swastika, which is illegal in Australia, NSN signage sometimes will include other symbols of fascism, as well as the phrase “mass deportations now.”
Image of a National Socialist Network protest. Source: Telegram
The group’s leader, violent neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, and two other prominent members of the NSN were arrested on November 7.
NSN, and its leadership, are popular among Canada’s far-right. Sewell has appeared on live streams with prominent Canadian white nationalists and his content—and updates on legal troubles—are often circulated on their social media.
In response to the arrests, Nationalist-13 released a message saying they “stand in solidarity with our Folk in Australia who are currently being oppressed by a viscous [sic] Anti-White regime, much like the one here in Canada.”
Calvin Robinson had his licence to provide ministry to the Anglican Catholic Church revoked after the incident.
In a popular video showing left-wing pundit Sam Seder debating 20 Trump supporters, one of his opponents asserted it would be better for US society to be based on white Christian values.
Bethan Nodwell, Christine Loughead, and another unidentified Canadian joined neo-Nazi leader Chris Pohlhaus to discuss antisemitic conspiracy theories and dehumanize South Asian and Indigenous people.