Organizers said anyone with weapons “of any kind” at either stop will be removed.
The leaders of a Canadian organization referred to by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism as a “far-right extremist group” have scheduled two stops in Saskatchewan during a nationwide tour.
Diagolon was founded by Jeremy MacKenzie, a podcaster who promotes white nationalism. According to a 2022 House of Commons report, Diagolon’s policies include preparing for a “race war.”
The group’s name refers to a fictional country of provinces and states without COVID-19 mandates, with a diagonal line formed across North America.
A website and social media postings list dates for “Road Rage Terror Tour” stops across Canada, including in Calgary (July 13), Vancouver (July 19), Kamloops (July 20), Edmonton (July 24), Saskatoon (July 25), Hamilton (July 31) and Halifax (Aug. 4). Meet-and-greet events were also promoted for Thunder Bay (Tuesday), Regina (July 11), Lethbridge (July 12), Kelowna (July 15), Nanaimo (July 16), Winnipeg (July 26), Quebec City (Aug. 1) and Fredericton (Aug.2).
According to social media posts promoting the Saskatoon and Regina events, the locations will be shared via email 24 hours in advance to ticket holders in Saskatoon or to those who have expressed interest in attending in Regina.
The day’s schedule in Saskatoon includes volunteers and the tour team arriving and setting up the venue from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., VIP entry from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., general admission entry from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the show running from around 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
According to the social media post, the Saskatoon event is a potluck and attendees are encouraged to bring food or snacks. Alcohol will not be served due to “insurance and safety reasons,” and according to the post, anyone who arrives intoxicated or becomes “a problem in general … will be removed from the venue.”
At the Regina event, which is set to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., alcohol will be available for purchase. It is “not child friendly,” according to the social media post.
Organizers said anyone with weapons “of any kind” at either stop will be removed.
“This is a private event. Phones and recording devices must be disabled and hidden during the venue, left inside your vehicle or at home,” the social media posts say about both Saskatchewan stops.
Organizers also said security will “keep an eye on vehicles and measures have been put in place to avoid Trantifa issues.”
Trantifa — a combination of “transgender” and “antifa” — is a made-up pejorative term used by right-wing groups, organizers and supporters who perceive a threat from left-wing activists and transgender people or supporters.
An Ottawa meeting on Saturday was the first stop of the tour. The Ottawa Police Service said it was aware in advance that an event was happening somewhere in the city, but didn’t know exactly where until the day of the event. Officers monitored the event and “maintained a visible presence,” OPS said in a statement.
“The role of police in Canada is to maintain public order and preserve the peace,” OPS said in its statement.
In 2022, Mubin Shaikh, a professor of public safety at Seneca College and counter-extremism specialist, told the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that while Diagolon “started out as a joke,” it was “made up of former members of the Canadian Forces, individuals with real combat training, with real capabilities and who have grown increasingly radicalized, especially because of COVID.”
Speaking before the Public Order Emergency Commission, MacKenzie said of Diagolon: “There’s an aspect of, you know, firearms, supporting recreational culture and stuff, especially in Western Canada, but there’s certainly not anything resembling a militia.”
— With Postmedia Network files
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