Canada Among Very Worst White Supremacist Countries: Report

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Canada Among Very Worst White Supremacist Countries: Report

"We were really struck by the high level of engagement by Canadians," says an author of a new report on right-wing extremism online.

www.vice.com

Over 11 million online users globally have been reached by more than 6,600 right-wing extremist social media pages, groups, and accounts in Canada, according to a new report by a U.K.-based think tank that studies hate and extremism.

And researchers suspect that these users have been more active during the COVID-19 lockdown and anti-Black racism protests.

"We were really struck by the high level of engagement by Canadians," said Jacob Davey, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) senior research manager and co-author of the report. "It's clear that Canada has a well established system of right-wing extremists very much comparable to that of the U.S. and U.K., and it's part of a global pattern."

Davey said the current anti-Black racism movements have likely led to more activity by these voices as they try to discredit the idea that racism is a problem in Canada.

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It found that Canadians are particularly active "representing the third largest nationality using 4chan's politically incorrect board," and were the third largest community on Iron March behind the U.S. and U.K.

The researchers also found that anti-Muslim and anti-Trudeau chatter is more prevalent among the far-right actors. For instance, on Twitter, extremist voices were more likely to be engaged in anti-Muslim conversation and boards tended to light up when anti-Muslim topics were being discussed.

According to the report, on Facebook, "Muslims were the most widely discussed minority community, and the most common target of posts containing explicit hate speech (23 percent), with anti-Semitism being the second largest grouping of hate speech (16 percent)." Trudeau was a particularly popular target on YouTube, the report said.

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While Canada is different than the US in many ways we've got a big problem with white supremacists that can't be swept under the carpet anymore.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Yeah, this has especially become apparent recently.

'I called him a racist,' Singh kicked out of House for refusing to apologize to Bloc MP

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called a Bloc Quebecois MP racist Wednesday after a New Democrat motion on RCMP discrimination failed to receive unanimous consent from the House of Commons.

www.cp24.com

 

[crimzonflame]

Not surprising. Im never stepping the fuck out of Toronto.

 

[DJ_Lae]

There are a ton of social media groups that have done an excellent job of painting themselves as the voice of reason for anyone with more than a few minor gripes with the government. Then they all eventually go balls-deep with the conspiracies and the racist stuff while maintaining the 'Canada Proud' angle.

I have some relatives who are into that shit. I don't really understand it, either, as these groups are so ridiculous it almost comes across as parody. But I guess there is no other one-stop shop for your Trudeau hate memes, oil industry fellatio, anti-vax, and hatred of brown people.

 

[Pedrito]

Did they only look at english content? Because Canadians are pretty much always the third largest nationality using any English websites.

But anyway, not really surprising considering that we gave to the world Jordan Peterson, Lauren Southern, Faith Goldy, Gavin Mackinnes, Stephan Molyneux, Steven Crowder, etc.

 

[Tamerlane]

I've seen too many confederate flags and other white supremacist symbols in my city (London) to be surprised at this news.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

I also think given what happened in MPLS (and also what happened during the Jamar Clark precinct protests, white supremacists shot at protestors), and we still need a lot of answers about very organized arsonists, MN has a fuck ton of very violent white supremacists.

I would like to see follow up but this far have not seen it on stashes of accelerants and very clearly organized widespread arson.

 

[Stat]

Not surprised tbh as a Canadian. Its disgusting.

Think of the largest Canadian board on reddit is has a couple self-admitted white supremacists mods and those around them who are like "well, you know, different strokes, etc etc"

 

[Goldenroad]

Not surprising. Im never stepping the fuck out of Toronto.

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That's kind of funny when you look at where the most hate crimes are happening in Canada. If anything, you'd think you'd want to get the hell out of Ontario.

I'm not saying hate crimes are the end all, be all, of racism, but they are definitely an indicator of people's hatred.
Regardless, the whole country is built on racism, and what we need is an national education mandate to help make cultural studies a focus for children from a very young age.

 

[Frankie Williamson]

As an Albertan, yes, we the fuck are.

 

[Beef Supreme]

I guess it depends on what part. My wife (who is Puerto Rican) and I visited Vancouver and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. People were incredibly nice.

 

[Barrel_Roll]

Maybe that cult that Rowsdower joined in The Final Sacrifice was based on some real life Canadian white supremacy groups?

 

[Annubis]

A lot of racists shits all over Quebec. They're the same type that are complaining that Trudeau is taking their guns away.

 

[Razorrin]

We definitely have this issue, and need to overcome our positive reputation in some ways to tackle this issue without assuming everything is much better then anywhere else, as canadian exceptionalism is an issue that is propagated by consistent positive reinforcement from other nations, not undeservingly in many aspects but still very easy to use as a shield.

At the same time, I can't help but feel that this has to be handled carefully, since broadcasting that canada "isn't as good as you think!" has the effect of being easily dismissed or used to attack Canada directly as a snooty country that looks better then it is, even though that would be accurate to it and many others, Rather then actually identify and work towards solving the issues we have.

Basically, the Singh expulsion was an important event, as it clearly showed that the government can and will hold decorum to a higher standard then the very serious issue of clear racism. If we had a better handle on this issue, we wouldn't need Singh to be so direct, and we Certainly wouldn't punish him for it, we would already have measures in place to punish clear lack of care for minorities and disadvantaged people at that level.

We must use incidents like this as a springboard for better policy in the commons and other government bodies in canada, so we can enable better and more effective legistlation to help Everyone, and seriously tackle our most damning issues.

We aren't perfect, and we won't be if we don't take this shit seriously. I hope we can move forward and actually do something with this, and I urge any canadians with the power to contact representatives in their province/territory to stress the importance of taking racism seriously and to fight for indigenous and minority canadian rights, especially during this tough time, as well as overcome and defeat White Supremacy in all it's forms no matter where it is.

Indigenous especially, we haven't done enough to help, and they are continually suffering from our past and current system.

 

[Anaron]

Yup. This country is just as much a racist shithole.

 

[lunarworks]

Yup. Go outside of any major urban centre in Canada, and you're likely to run into racism face-first. This is always going to be a problem when you have conservative small towns where almost everyone is white.

There are a ton of social media groups that have done an excellent job of painting themselves as the voice of reason for anyone with more than a few minor gripes with the government. Then they all eventually go balls-deep with the conspiracies and the racist stuff while maintaining the 'Canada Proud' angle.

I have some relatives who are into that shit. I don't really understand it, either, as these groups are so ridiculous it almost comes across as parody. But I guess there is no other one-stop shop for your Trudeau hate memes, oil industry fellatio, anti-vax, and hatred of brown people.

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Rebel Media is a cancer on society. My brother fell deep into their hole.

 

[SRG01]

That's kind of funny when you look at where the most hate crimes are happening in Canada. If anything, you'd think you'd want to get the hell out of Ontario.

I'm not saying hate crimes are the end all, be all, of racism, but they are definitely an indicator of people's hatred.
Regardless, the whole country is built on racism, and what we need is an national education mandate to help make cultural studies a focus for children from a very young age.

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That .7 number in Alberta must be under-reported.

 

[Heshinsi]

That's kind of funny when you look at where the most hate crimes are happening in Canada. If anything, you'd think you'd want to get the hell out of Ontario.

I'm not saying hate crimes are the end all, be all, of racism, but they are definitely an indicator of people's hatred.
Regardless, the whole country is built on racism, and what we need is an national education mandate to help make cultural studies a focus for children from a very young age.

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It's happening the most in Ontario due to it having the largest minority population. Far more minorities for racists and bigots to target.

 

[Cranster]

I know and knew many people who have fallen into the Qanon and alex Jones shithole, let alone yellow vest and ontario/canada proud groups.

So I'm not shocked.

 

[Strat]

As someone who has lived in Toronto for 30+ years, has a huge east coast family, many of which have moved to Alberta...yes. Dumb white people are everywhere.

In the last month it has been increasingly clear that the viewpoints of my wife and I are completely at odds with a lot of our families, the the point where we're probably just going to delete our Facebook accounts and completely disengage from the majority of them on every level.

 

[Minthara]

This news isn't the least surprising. Canada has hate crime all over the place and we, as a society, need to stop denying it and pretending it doesn't exist and actively start working on fixing it as quickly as possible.

Ontario, Quebec, and BC are especially bad at it, because we all like to make fun of Alberta for being a close analogue to the racist south US while anti-Asian sentiment rages in BC, anti-anyone-who-doesn't-speak-French-and/or-have-white-skin rages in Quebec and a lot of different types of racism rage in Ontario. We like to pretend we are better, but in reality a lot of people just turn a blind eye because it doesn't effect them and they want to pretend their province is superior.

And this does not even get into our country-wide problem of how we address the indigenous population in Canada, who we have left poor and destitute for years after putting them through shit like charter schools while we destroy the environment all around them.

Canada has a long way to go and some parts of it refuse to look in the mirror.

 

[Eros]

damn, i was one of those folks telling canada to adopt us on the west coast

i feel silly

 

[Khanimus]

Not shocked

 

[Jeffolation]

Yup.

 

[DJ_Lae]

Rebel Media is a cancer on society. My brother fell deep into their hole.

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I've given up trying to help them, too. I just don't understand how they can keep up with it...everything the Rebel and those other groups post is so ridiculous I can't believe people still hang on.

That .7 number in Alberta must be under-reported.

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It's possible, but Stats Canada shows Alberta not at the top of reported hate crimes either.

Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018

This Juristat article examines the nature and extent of police-reported hate crime in Canada. Key topics include motivations for hate crime (e.g., race/ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation), types of offences, geographical comparisons, and victim/accused characteristics. The article uses...

www150.statcan.gc.ca

I imagine Alberta's population is less diverse in general, too. But as much as people rag on it I don't find people here significantly more racist than they were in BC.

 

[UnpopularBlargh]

Yeah, this has especially become apparent recently.

'I called him a racist,' Singh kicked out of House for refusing to apologize to Bloc MP

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called a Bloc Quebecois MP racist Wednesday after a New Democrat motion on RCMP discrimination failed to receive unanimous consent from the House of Commons.

www.cp24.com

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Yup. Some of our biggest exports to the US are far right grifters like Peterson and Gavin "Proud Boy" MacInnis. So I'm not surprised at all.

 

[Goldenroad]

It's happening the most in Ontario due to it having the largest minority population. Far more minorities for racists and bigots to target.

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Sure. Of course. Especially with regards to religious minorities. There are virtually no Jewish folks on the prairies, so obviously there isn't the rampant antisemitism that you see in Toronto and Montreal. Regardless, like I say, it's a national issue, and there is no city, province or territory where it isn't a big problem that needs to be more than just acknowledged.

 

[Leeness]

It's really disappointing, but yes... we're just a bit less overt about it than the US.

I wish I knew what to do, as a white person. :/

 

[lunarworks]

It's really disappointing, but yes... we're just a bit less overt about it than the US.

I wish I knew what to do, as a white person. :/

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Confront it. If you see it happening, stand up, don't let it go.

 

[Metalgus]

Meanwhile in my own province :

François Legault sticks to position that systemic racism doesn't exist in Quebec

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[Unknownlight]

I guess it depends on what part. My wife (who is Puerto Rican) and I visited Vancouver and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. People were incredibly nice.

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As always, I imagine it's the difference between cities and rural areas.

 

[yellowfury]

Did they only look at english content? Because Canadians are pretty much always the third largest nationality using any English websites.

But anyway, not really surprising considering that we gave to the world Jordan Peterson, Lauren Southern, Faith Goldy, Gavin Mackinnes, Stephan Molyneux, Steven Crowder, etc.

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wait crowder is Canadian?

 

[OrangeNova]

London Ontario had the Swastika farm, that had one in the grass in the back(visible on google maps at the time) and all over the inside of the farm.

We also have a lot of hells angels, outlaws, the KKK used to use my city as their headquarters in Canada.

Canada is Racist as fuck, they just don't pay attention.

 

[WrenchNinja]

This does not surprise me one bit. People are racist as fuck up here, they just like to pretend like theyre better than Americans.

 

[Razorrin]

But anyway, not really surprising considering that we gave to the world Jordan Peterson, Lauren Southern, Faith Goldy, Gavin Mackinnes, Stephan Molyneux, Steven Crowder, etc.

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Jesus, we gave the world freaking Louder with Crowder?!? Oh my god, we have to significantly limit our export of dipstick scum that actively benifit off of stoking hatred like this, oh my god. All these people are absolutely disgusting.

This needs to be better showen and spread around, we have a responsibility to own up to these people coming from our nation, they expouse hatred and discontent that is totally against what our values should and will be, and should be denigrated to our fullest extent.

No nation should be happy to have spawned something like Louder with Crowder.

 

[tabris]

Not to sweep anything under the rug as there's a lot of white supremacists in the cities as well, but there's a huge difference between living in one of the major cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal - and rural and/or suburban Canada.

Rural/Suburban Canada is gross in its racism. I feel once you leave one of those 3 cities there's not as much difference between Canada and US. In those cities it's at least better it seems.

EDIT - With that said we just had a huge rise in anti-Asian racism and hate acts in Vancouver over the last couple of months. So ugh.

 

[ConfusedOwl]

I spent a lot of time in the rural maritimes growing up. I'm not surprised.

 

[OrangeNova]

I spent a lot of time in the rural maritimes growing up. I'm not surprised.

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Half my family is from Cape Breton.

Yeah, conversations with them often involve me letting them know something they said was racist.

 

[Pedrito]

wait crowder is Canadian?

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Double-nationality. Born in the US but grew up in Montréal. One of his first big YouTube breakout videos was showing the world how hellish socialized medicine is.

 

[Hey Please]

Yes, outside major metropolitan areas, this is a huge issue. And FWIW, anti-black and anti-east asian sentiment pervades brown communities and anti-muslim sentiment exists within other minority communities, like Hindu, albeit presumably not being as widespread as it is within judeo christian conservative white people.

 

[Deleted member 4452]

Our record on our indigenous people speaks for itself. It would be farcical to believe that we could be white supremacists towards them and not also white supremacists towards every other minority group.

We just have less guns and less police shootings in general.

 

[Agamon]

As an Albertan, yes, we the fuck are.

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Yep. Damn embarrassing. Our mini-Trump premier is Exhibit A.

 

[Brinbe]

yep, all the diversity/harmonious vibe stuff are in the cities and even then, mostly in the core areas. the people out in the sticks are super insular and creepy and probably highly racist as fuck.

there's a reason doug ford got elected premier here after all....

 

[Scuffed]

I spoke to this a very long time ago on here. There are some mega racist places here in Ontario. This report doesn't surprise me at all. I'm glad we have real data though so we can end the denial.

 

[Cantaim]

I'm not surprised the amount of alt right media people that were born in Canada but came to the states to make their grift is too eyebrow raising to be a coincidence.

 

[Saturday]

A sobering reminder.

There are a fair amount of Canadians fully aware of the dissonance between the Canadian stereotype and and the actual state of affairs in the country, and I do feel that these people make up for it in their everyday lives, so that's a small kindness. I can only hope that the desire to reconcile these two truths for the better is widely accepted.

 

[Leeness]

Confront it. If you see it happening, stand up, don't let it go.

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That's something I do! I don't often see overt acts, but when there is the kind of...quiet and "I'm not trying to be racist but..." types of things, I'll talk it out with them and try to make them see it was not a good comment.

 

[ConfusedOwl]

Half my family is from Cape Breton.

Yeah, conversations with them often involve me letting them know something they said was racist.

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It's a constant battle with extended family members for sure. It's sad to look back at your childhood and realize how much casual racism you were around.

 

[Deleted member 2840]

The few months I've been here agree with this report. I've seen some shit

 

[SasaBassa]

We (US) export our garbage to them, and Canada has never been great to its POC regardless. Slightly better than the US is not a high bar or something to aim for in and of itself.