A cache of weapons and far-right insignia — found when RCMP moved on an encampment that spent the last few weeks blocking the U.S. border at Coutts, Alta. — shows the direct connection between the anti-vaxx convoy and an emboldened form of violent right-wing extremism.
In a raid in the early hours of Monday morning, police arrested 11 people, confiscating more than a dozen firearms, multiple sets of body armour, high capacity magazines, and a machete.
According to reporting from the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), the seized materials include symbols from a far-right organization which aims to incite a race war:
Among the seized gear were patches showing the black and white flag of Diagolon, the banner of a fictional country used by the network of fans of a collective of conspiracy-focused, survivalist streamers called the Plaid Army. The militia-like network – members have repeatedly said they are armed and preparing for violence – has often expressed sentiments akin to accelerationism, viewing a coming collapse or civil war as necessary to right the tilted course of the country.
In a news release announcing the arrests, the Alberta RCMP maintained those charged were a “small organized group within the larger Coutts protest.”
The cops added that later in the evening a tractor and semi-truck attempted to ram a police vehicle, demonstrating the “militant mindset of a small segment of the protest.”
In doing so, police are upholding an artificial distinction between a protest movement started by white supremacists and violent white supremacy.
But, as they say, if you have 10 people sitting at a table with one Nazi, you’ve got 11 Nazis.
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