TorontoToday
May 7, 2025
Peter Smith, a researcher and reporter who covers far-right extremism for the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, called the number of people who participated in the demonstration “concerning.”
While the same groups have staged similar demonstrations locally in recent years, they tend to be much smaller, with just a handful attending, he said.
“I think it’s undoubtable that the movement is growing and that [it] has been getting more extreme,” said Smith.
The Toronto Fitness Club is one of a growing number of far-right groups that also focus on athleticism, which are often referred to as active clubs, according to Smith.
While active clubs often promote fitness and combat training, and appear to advocate for tougher immigration policies or a return to traditional values, Smith said their core focus is pushing for white nationalism.
“These are not just a bunch of people who have questions about immigration,” he said. “If you're not Scottish, French, Irish or English, [they want you to] to go back to where you came from.”
Smith said he believed the main focus of Saturday's protest was to get photos and video that could be circulated online to try to get media attention and recruit more people to the movement.
“It’s a very dark ideology that has been finding more purchase with people … and we have to really work to stamp it out of our communities,” he said.
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