All eyes on Kelowna
Anti-mask and anti-lockdown rallies in Kelowna have caught the attention of antihate groups across Canada because of what they say are ties to a known Canadian white supremacist.
According to Elizabeth Simons, deputy director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, the presence of Paul Fromm at several local rallies dating back to the spring, and his association with rally organizer David Kevin Lindsay, are troubling.
Fromm has been described by anti-hate groups as a known neo-Nazi.
According to Simonds, far-right and whitenationalist groups and supporters are directly involved in organizing many similar rallies across Canada.
“It’s hugely concerning seeing this trend right across the country,” she said.
Last Saturday in Kelowna, a large protest was held against the current provincial mandatory mask order for indoor public spaces and other B.C. public health orders aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19.
Fromm posted on his website that Lindsay received a $2,300 ticket from police for staging that event because it broke public health orders.
But even before that event, Simonds said other rallies in Kelowna were noticed because of Fromm’s presence here and the appearance of images co-opted by far-right supporters.
Video of man holding a large Knights Templar flag at the Kelonwa rally last weekend has circulated. While not a direct farright image, Knights Templar crosses have been used by far-right supporters in the past, according the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
The network says many of the rallies being held across the country to protest public health measures aimed at stopping COVID19 — such as mask wearing and lockdowns — are being organized by, and often promote ideas of, people on the far right. They include an over emphasis on individual rights over what’s good for the community, conspiracy theories and, in some cases, outright racism and bigotry.
Garth Davies, associate professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Criminology, said the far-right has been very successful at using the pandemic to find subtle ways to get its messages out. And because they are espoused as part of peaceful, anti pandemic measure rallies, they often go unconfronted.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that these rallies are not just being attended by, but driven by, the far-right,” said Davies, who has studied terrorism and violent extremism for 30 years. He said many of the messages, such as individual rights, conspiracy theories and extreme suspicion of government are “straight out of the far-right’s playbook.”
Despite that, Davies said people seem to be more focused on the message than the messenger, something he said needs to change.
The danger, he said, is the possibility of radicalization of people who attend these rallies, hear the messages over and over and start to believe them.
They then start spreading them to others. While the Kelowna RCMP did not directly address the issue of far-right supporters being involved rallies protesting public health measures when asked, a spokesman said the force will continue to monitor such gatherings to make sure pubic health orders are not being defied.
If they are, tickets will be handed out, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Jessie O’Donaghey.
“Regardless of their views, as long as a group does not incite or encourage violence, the RCMP respects the right of individuals to peaceful and lawful protest.” O’Donaghey said. “That being said, any person who encourages others to gather, and purposefully defy public health orders makes such a demonstration unlawful and (that) is concerning to police.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that these rallies are not just being attended by, but driven by, the far-right.”
—SFU Prof. Garth Davies,
School of Criminology
Those in attendance at rallies, as well as the organizers, are in violation of current public health orders, added the RCMP spokesman, and are subject to charges and fines under the Covid Related Measures Act.
Conviction of those offences can carry a penalty of up to $2,000 and/or six month in jail.
Lindsay, who has been associated with Fromm in the past, is well-known for his unsuccessful court cases opposing the payment of income tax and fighting for what he has describes as personal freedoms.
In 2015, he was in Quesnel to support man convicted of willfully promoting hatred against Jewish people and was interviewed outside the courthouse by Fromm, comparing security measure to something you would see in North Korea.
Both Simonds and Davies said the anti-mask and anti-lockdown rallies here will likely continue to draw scrutiny.
According to Davies, the pandemic has provided unprecedented opportunities for the farright to get its messages out, as people are much more susceptible to conspiracy theories during a time of uncertainty and anxiety.
“The pandemic causes more anxiety and higher levels of stress and, as a result, response to conspiracy theories … goes up.”
He said while it is difficult to give a definitive answer to what people should do to fend off the spread of far-right messaging, he said talking to others, learning to recognize the rhetoric and educating yourself about who is delivering the messages can help.
Shaming others about things like mask-wearing and following provincial health guidelines and orders, he said, is not productive, but establishing dialogue is.
Simonds said it’s important to call out far-right messaging and ideas and confront them head-on; however, given they are espoused at rallies involving legitimate protest, and many who would not knowingly associate with people with far-right ideology attend, she said it’s more important now then ever before to recognize and counter the messaging.
“It’s unprecedented,” said Simonds of the current ability of the far-right to get its ideas across to the public.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before in this country.”
Lindsay has reportedly said he plans to continue organizing rallies against the current public health orders in B.C.