Mayor Gregor Robertson issued a statement Thursday that simultaneously called for denunciation and non-violent participation ahead of Saturday’s far-right rally at Vancouver City Hall.
Robertson specifically encouraged residents to engage in peaceful protest to counter the presence of a pair of groups — World Coalition Against Islam (WCAI) and the Cultural Action Party of Canada (CAP) — that promote anti-Muslim immigration and Nazi ideology.
“Acts of hate and violence must always be met with strong resistance,” Robertson said. “We forcefully reject racism, bigotry, and discrimination as well as the individuals and groups who spread it in our city. I stand in solidarity with anti-racism protesters and I encourage peaceful protest to call out white supremacy, hate, and racist speech wherever they take place.”
WCAI founder Joey Deluca and CAP founder Brad Salzberg are slated to be in attendance, as are members of the Soldiers of Odin (SOO). Members of SOO have been linked to racist ideologies in Europe, and members of the B.C. chapter have participated in controversial “patrols” of downtown Vancouver.
The rally is being organized by a group referring to itself as “Great Motivational Speakers” on Facebook. No name is attached to the organizer, although the person behind the handle suggests the rally was planned in advance of the racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.
“We are not Nazis or white supremacists,” the poster claims. “We got falsely labeled [sic] that because of the Charlotteville [sic] thing. This rally was supposed to be against Justin Trudeau and his policies. People of all races are invited to speak and stand with us. The media is trying to make this something it's both [sic]. We hate Antifa but we don't hate all immigrants or anything like they are saying.”
CAP founder Brad Salzberg echoed similar sentiments in an email to the Courier on Wednesday, suggesting his group intends on protesting the federal government’s “multicultural and refugee policy in particular.” He said the group is made of supporters from beyond just Anglophone and Francophone communities.
“Cultural Action Party has never made a statement that we are anti-immigration. We are not,” Salzberg said. “The issue regarding immigration is that rather than based upon economic need, immigration policy is a political tool to grab as many votes as possible in order to consolidate power for the ruling party.”
WCAI Canada has been far less subtle. A tweet from late July contains the numbers 1488, a known calling card for Nazi sympathizers. The number 14 represents a 14-word credo calling for the protection and preservation of whites written by a Klu Klux Klan member. The inclusion of 88 is a reference to the phrase “Heil Hitler,” given the letter’s eighth place in the alphabet.
Another tweet from the same day states: “F*** ISLAM AND F*** ANTIFA.......THAT IS ALL.”
A counter protest has been organized by an ad hoc group called Oppose the Racists in Metro Vancouver. Roughly 5,000 people are interested in attending the counter protest, compared to 40 interested in the far-right rally.
Robertson’s missive early Thursday happened around the same time the Province newspaper reported on neo-Nazi flyers being distributed in Renfrew-Collingwood. Similar hate-filled propaganda campaigns have happened in Richmond and Chilliwack over the last 12 months. Vancouver Police Department Sgt. Jason Robillard confirmed the flyer incident to the Courier late Thursday afternoon, saying it's the lone case reported to police thus far. An investiation has been opened.
On Wednesday, Robillard suggested intelligence is being gathered on the rally and that officers will patrol the event.
“Our message to the public is simply this – we encourage free speech but we also encourage public safety,” Robillard said. “So we’re going to be balancing those two come Saturday.”
This story has been updated since first published.
