“The Carnival of the Canadian Alt-Right”: How the far right appropriated the convoy of truckers

There is no longer any proof that right-wing and even far-right groups have infiltrated the “freedom convoy”, those truckers who protest against compulsory vaccination for drivers crossing the border. How and why did this happen? Who are the leaders and participants in the movement? We explain to you.

• Read also: Convoy of truckers: Nazi and Confederate flags spotted in Ottawa

• Read also: A polluting convoy: how many tons of GHGs in the name of freedom?

Dconfederate raptors and swastikas

They were about 10,000 to demonstrate in the streets of Ottawa, in front of parliament, Saturday and Sunday. Among the many postersFreedomin the crowd, hateful and radical symbols, like Confederate flags and even swastikas, were seen.

Long before the pandemic began, far-right groups were trying to make themselves heard. The fed up of citizens and truckers in the face of health measures and the government was therefore the perfect storm for these groups to appropriate the convoy.

“The protest movement against health measures is not only on the right, but it is true that it is very infiltrated by the right, and even by extremist groups which have an anti-government, supremacist agenda, and which advocate the accelerating the collapse of the system”, explains David Morin, professor and holder of the UNESCO Chair in the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism.

How did the right appropriate the movement

Basically, the two camps have ideological affinities.

A report by the Center for Expertise and Training on Religious Fundamentalisms, Political Ideologies and Radicalization (CEFIR) published on Monday effectively argues that anti-sanitary measures groups and far-right groups share the same ideology founded, in particular, on the rejection of the institutions of liberal democracy, such as science, the media and the state.

• Read also: Truckers still camping in Ottawa, Trudeau reacts: What’s happened since Friday

No wonder, therefore, that right-wing extremist groups have seized on truckers’ demands, as have more moderate right-wing groups, confirms David Morin.

“The presence of the more radical right in the landscape of protest against health measures has been observable since the start of the crisis. [Grâce à ce mouvement,] its supporters have, to some extent, finally succeeded in capitalizing politically on this crisis to advance their pawns and recruit membership“, he specifies.

Thus, as health measures have become more restrictive, far-right groups have been able to raise the issue of totalitarianism – consistent with their ideology of rejection of the system – “which is nevertheless ironic when we know that the he extreme right is more for totalitarian regimes,” underlines Mr. Morin.

Who are the participants?

We reassure you: not all the participants in the convoy are sympathizers of the extreme right. “Most were there to express dissatisfaction with health measures, without having a strong underlying ideology,” explains the professor.

Others are there with a well-marked right-wing ideology and are trying to make political gains, such as the members of the Maverick Party – of which some organizers are a part – or even Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada. The latter was also there on Saturday, observes David Morin.

• Read also: Canadians live different realities: here are the health rules by province

But it should not be denied that groups of the more radical right (“thealt right Canadian society”), including neo-Nazi groups, found a golden opportunity to infiltrate the movement.

We have therefore been able to observe a kind of ecosystem of the Canadian right, combining the most moderate with the most extremist. “It was the great carnival of thealt right in Ottawa”, illustrates Mr. Morin.

How did hateful symbols end up in the protest?

If it was above all a question of health measures last weekend, it should not be forgotten that the far right conveys racist, even supremacist ideologies. And these naturally made their way during the demonstration.

“What is worrying is that no one asked [aux personnes avec des drapeaux arborant des symboles haineux] to put them away, although that would not have removed the despicable character of bringing out this kind of flag in a demonstration like this, ”underlines David Morin. However, he is not surprised to have seen such symbols in front of parliament.

He also believes that it is important to dissociate some of the people who participated in the movement from these extremists. But the responsibility still rests with the participants to know who the organizers are and to possibly dissociate themselves from those who have more radical agendas than themselves.

“For those who went all the same, on the one hand, I do not think that they should be relieved of their responsibility, but on the other, we cannot accuse them by association, adds David Morin. Otherwise, it would tend to push the health protest movement out of hand by saying “Anyway, it’s just people who have a very right-wing political agenda”. It’s more complex than that.”

• Read also: Protest in Ottawa: investigations underway for desecration, threats and vandalism

Still, participants who do not have a political program are instrumentalized for much more partisan political ends, he warns. “If you embark on this kind of demonstration, you should not be surprised that you find yourself next to much more extremist groups who brandish swastikas.”

Who are the leaders of the movement?

A look at those who are considered to be the three main organizers – or spokespersons – of the movement makes it possible to understand how the right and the extreme right were able to seize it.

The first, Patrick King, is probably the one whose ideas are the most radical. He is one of the co-founders of Wexit, an independence movement in the western provinces of Canada, which has now become the Maverick Party. He has made Islamophobic remarks in public forums and advocates the theory of the great replacement, an ideology based on racist principles.

Then there is Tamara Lich, the one who set up the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign for the convoy. She is an administrator of the Maverick Party. Considered the most moderate of the convoy leaders, she called for calm when incidents occurred during the protest.

Finally, there is Benjamin (BJ) Dichter, whose name also appears as the organizer of the crowdfunding campaign. He too made Islamophobic remarks, notably during a rally of the People’s Party of Canada in 2019, during which he urged people to “protect themselves from the dangers of political Islamists”. He also argued that the Liberal Party is “infested with Islamists.”