We have identified four more people who attended the white nationalist conference, thanks to tips received from the public.
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Illustration: Hazel Woodrow
Last month, we published an investigation into a white nationalist event called Exiles of the Golden Age (EOTGA). The event was held on July 26, 2025 at a cultural centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of the organizers are affiliated with the Hammerskins, a neo-Nazi skinhead group with a decades-long history of criminality and violence. Attendees of the event included MMA coaches and gym owners, as well as members of several Active Clubs.
Advertised near-exclusively in white nationalist online spaces, promotional social media posts for the event include symbolism popular with neo-Nazis, including the kolovrat sun wheel and a table with an inlaid sonnenrad.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network sent a photographer and obtained images and video of people who attended, including the organizers. The EOTGA organizers didn’t announce the venue in advance, which has become a common tactic for white nationalist groups to avoid venues cancelling on them, or protests. On the morning of the event, organizers told paid ticketholders to meet at a public park, where they were then redirected to the event.
The venue says they were “regrettably duped” and that they would “never knowingly rent to people promoting such vile beliefs.”
Our investigation included images of over 50 organizers and attendees of the conference, 20 of whom we were able to identify. We asked for the public’s help in making more identifications, and were overwhelmed by the response. CAHN was able to confirm four more individuals as a result of those tips.
If you have any information about any of the named individuals, or recognize any of the unnamed individuals, please email us at [email protected] so that we can engage in a verification process. All tips are confidential.
Each identification has been carefully verified by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Every person named has been given the opportunity to comment. However, EOTGA organizers told their audience on Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) to ignore media requests, and no responses were received.
Thea Coburn is a classical violinist and operations manager with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. Under the pseudonym Diana Clarke, Coburn has published over 30 articles for the far-right and anti-feminist magazine Evie. She walked into the event with organizers Robertson De Chazal and Karsen Miller carrying a violin case.
In promotional posts for the event, the EOTGA social media accounts announced, “We're excited to announce that this year’s Exiles of the Golden Age conference and VIP afterparty will feature unique performances by BC’s own Folk and Fiddle.”
Thea Coburn outside the white nationalist event 'Exiles of the Golden Age' held on July 26, 2025
Karsen Miller, who goes by “Krypt-NWC” online, is an organizer of Exiles of the Golden Age, and is easily recognizable by a large wolfsangel tattoo on the side of his head.
Miller appears to be one of the men behind the Northern War Cult (NWC), which is related to Vinland Battlewear (VB), a neo-Nazi lifestyle and clothing brand owned by Josh Bruce and Robertson De Chazal. In March 2024, the VB social media channels posted new clothing designs bearing the NWC name, saying “NORTHERN WAR CULT. A little taste of what’s on the horizon.”
Last month, a post was made to the EOTGA social media channels seemingly announcing a Canadian chapter of Operation Werewolf. Signed “Operation Werewolf Canada / Northern War Cult,” it was then shared on Telegram by the Operation Werewolf Official account.
Paul Waggener, who spoke virtually at the Exiles conference, is one of the founders of Wolves of Vinland (WoV), a pagan, neo-fascist cult with members in Virginia and Colorado. Waggener operates Operation Werewolf, an entrepreneurial outfit built around books, zines, workout programs, and other endeavours, as well as Devotion Jiu-Jitsu out of WoV’s Virginia property.
Miller’s name was provided to us in a tip that referenced community alert posts made by antifascists in Halifax, in which Miller is pictured wearing merch for Operation Werewolf.
Karsen Miller outside the white nationalist event 'Exiles of the Golden Age' held on July 26, 2025
Michael Jacobsen attended the Exiles conference.
He was employed until recently as the marketing and communications manager at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. According to the Zoo, he is no longer an employee.
Michael Jacobsen outside white nationalist event 'Exiles of the Golden Age' held on July 26, 2025
Thomas Wolferstan also attended the Exiles conference. He is a shipwright based in Victoria, BC, where he operates Wolferstan Boatworks. We received eight separate tips identifying him. Several of the people who wrote in said they were not surprised at his participation in the Exiles conference.
Thomas Wolferstan outside white nationalist event 'Exiles of the Golden Age' held on July 26, 2025
Since the initial story, Exiles attendee Ron Pearce’s Foundry Combat Sports was flooded with a wave of one-star reviews on Google (which supporters of Pearce attempted to counteract with their own reviews) until the Google profile was eventually removed entirely. After refusing to respond to questions from both CBC and CAHN, Foundry issued an initial statement which took a defensive posture and said that they were “consulting legal counsel to pursue appropriate remedies for the false and damaging assertions published in the article.”
This statement was broadly not well-received, and was deleted and followed by a second statement two days later, which acknowledged that “attending the event was a serious mistake, and we take full responsibility for it.” Foundry’s social media pages were deleted shortly thereafter. However, Pearce briefly un-privated his own Instagram and posted two videos in which he sarcastically referred to the event as a “hall of hate” in the “bowels of bigotry,” and concluded “even if it was what they say it was, which is not what I experienced, going to a Marvel movie doesn’t mean you come out a super hero.”
Yelp and a martial arts competition website indicate that Foundry is closed.
Social media profiles for Exiles attendee Karl Storness-Bliss’s Brokkr Strength Systems, as well as Karl himself, have been removed since CAHN’s investigation was published. According to CBC, the owner of Mission BJJ—out of which Storness-Bliss operated Brokkr—said he was “blown away” by the revelations about Storness-Bliss, and has asked him to leave the gym.
If you have any information about any of the named individuals, or recognize any of the unnamed individuals, please email us at [email protected] so that we can engage in a verification process. All tips are confidential.
Photos show who organized and attended a white nationalist networking event in Vancouver, BC – including Hammerskins, Active Clubs, and Second Sons.
We are asking for the public's help in identifying attendees of the white nationalist networking event 'Exiles of the Golden Age.'
Whether you measure it by number of supporters, fundraising ability, or by the size of its militant groups, the white nationalist movement in Canada has never been larger or more of a threat.