Soldiers of Odin crash UCP pub night event
The United Conservative Party is distancing itself from events at its pub night at Brown’s Social House.
A social media post from Sunday shows members of the Soldiers of Odin posing for photos with potential Edmonton-West Henday UCP candidates Nicole Williams, Leila Houle and Lance Coulter.
“I know now, and I do not share the despicable views of this group,” Williams wrote.
“Had I known their values, I would have requested that they leave, as their hate is not welcome in our party.”
UCP Edmonton-West Henday Constituency Association president Terry Howlett issued a statement on Sunday saying the group was “brought to the pub by an ‘organizer’ of the fringe Alberta Independence Party.”
The UCP posted on Twitter that members of the Alberta Independence Party “deliberately crashed” the event in an effort to “cause mischief.”
“To be clear: Soldiers of Odin and their hateful views are not welcome in our organization,” Howlett wrote.
Houle also released a statement Sunday on Facebook saying she is “beyond upset.”
“As an Indigenous woman, I condemn — in the strongest possible way — the SOO, and the violent, racist activity they have been attached to in Edmonton and across Canada,” Houle wrote.
Jason Kenney wasn’t at Friday ’s event, UCP executive director Janice Harrington confirmed on Sunday.
Kenney also took to Twitter on Sunday, saying he was “disturbed” to learn the pub night event was “crashed by supporters of the fringe ‘Alberta Independence Party,’ including members of hate groups.”
The Soldiers of Odin groups were created in Finland, where they’re considered a far-right, anti-immigrant organization. Members of the group in Edmonton have denied they hold racist views, describing the group as a “neighbourhood watch-based activity.”