Racism

‘White pride’ groups to march in Calgary

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Photo Credit: Robert Thivierge
Flickr Profile: http://flickr.com/photos/thivierr/1253787914/

Mar 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, but “pro-white” activists, including those in Alberta, have given the date another name: White Pride World Wide Day.

According to a flyer distributed by Calgary’s Aryan Guard, “We, a local White Civil rights [sic] activist group are hosting a march on March 21st as a declaration of our freedom and pride.”

Cody, an anti-racist activist from Calgary, who asked that only his first name be used, says that the intent of such groups is more about intimidation than pride.

“Just a few months back, there was an incident [in Calgary] where two neo-Nazis stabbed someone in a Safeway parking lot,” he says. “They went to court and got convicted on assault charges. They consider themselves ‘pro-white activists’ but from my experience, I would classify them as racist terrorists. They use fear tactics to spread their political beliefs.”

“White Pride is clearly and solely a euphemism for hatred,” agrees Jason Devine, a public spokesperson with the group Anti-Racist Action (ARA) Calgary. He points to the Aryan Guard’s website as proof. “It’s completely disingenuous. They say they’re non-violent, but pose with weapons. These people have violent tendencies, at the very least.”

Devine should know. The house he shares with his fiancée and four children was firebombed on Feb 12 in an attack he believes was orchestrated by Aryan Guard members. While no one was hurt, Devine says that the message behind the attack is clear: his activism has made his family a target.

Intimidation and violence by racists are nothing new to Alberta. In the early 1990s, a group calling itself “The Final Solution” (referring to the Nazi plan to exterminate the European Jewish population during the Second World War) moved into Edmonton and brought with it a culture of violence that culminated in the highly publicized 1990 attack on Keith Rutherford.

In the past year, Aryan Guard members have been putting up posters, handing out leaflets and responding to anti-racist rallies with their own protests. They hold regular meetings and are said to be actively recruiting, particularly among city youth.

“A year ago, it would be rare to see these neo-Nazis walking around. Now they’re all over the place,” Cody says. “You can find them on buses and trains, in parks and at bars. They’re all over the place now and they're growing.”

While Edmonton has faced similar problems in the past (local musician Pat Bourne’s house was firebombed in the early hours of Feb 6, 2006 by skinheads who accused him of being a “Stalinist”), compared to Calgary things here have been quiet. Local activists say they aren’t aware of more than a couple of neo-Nazis living in Edmonton and they haven't seen any signs of increased organizing by racist groups. That doesn’t mean they aren’t standing guard, though.

“They’ve been making trips to Lethbridge,” says an Edmonton-based anti-racist activist, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, “so Edmonton isn’t too far of a jump. It’s easier to fight it where it starts than to clean up a mess, so we need to stop it from happening here again.”

According to Anti-Racist Canada, the Final Solution was driven out of Edmonton by an aggressive campaign by the Anti-Fascist League and Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (S.H.A.R.P.s). These two groups identified neo-Nazis and created an environment so hostile that the racists could not recruit, spread information or even socialize without being met with fierce—and very public—opposition. Similar tactics are currently being used in Calgary.

“We can’t just sit around and wait for the police,” Devine argues. “Essentially, the police’s hands are tied. Until they break the law, it’s our job to alert the community. We show up to let them know that we’re watching them and that the community doesn’t have to be afraid.”

The Aryan Guard refused to comment, responding via email, “We have made it our standered [sic] practice not to speak to any main stream [sic] media or people representing any such media! We will give our own report on it to our own sources of media, who we know will not try to pervert our words for the favour of there [sic] leftist papers or for the sales of there [sic] papers!” V

Racism

‘White pride’ groups to march in Calgary

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