Activists say some suspects arrested at Coutts have white supremacist links – Calgary Herald

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'The reality is, this kind of mindset results in death we've seen it in London, Quebec City and Toronto'

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Anti-hate activists say there are troubling indications that some of those accused of a murder conspiracy linked to the Coutts border blockade are white supremacist extremists who pose a growing threat to Canadians.

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Those comments come after four Albertans were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and a host of others with firearms and mischief offences after more than a dozen rifles and handguns and body armour were seized from three trailers in Coutts on Monday.

What grabbed the attention of anti-racism activists were patches attached to the two sets of body armour seized by Mounties and displayed in a photo supplied to journalists.

One of them displayed the word infidel with Arabic script translating to kaffir a logo worn by white supremacists and Islamophobes, said Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Its used by white supremacists who believe therell be an apocalyptic war . . . for many years theres been a growth of these kinds of groups, said Alberta native Farooq.

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The reality is, this kind of mindset results in death weve seen it in London, Quebec City and Toronto.

One of those murders was of Mohammed Aslim Zafis, 58, who was stabbed outside an Etobicoke, Ont., mosque in September 2020.

Farooq said he rushed to that scene and saw the mans almost decapitated body soon after the slaying.

Were certainly not suggesting all the protesters are racist but its hard to deny some of the organizers are Islamophobic or white supremacist, he said.

A patch on another armoured vest sports the so-called diagolon crest thats been linked to extreme right-wing anti-government groups, said Peter Smith, a researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

If you see this, it tells you that you belong to a network of people who believe in this broad web of conspiracy theories, and theyve all been very supportive of the blockade, said Smith.

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I was (initially) surprised to see it, but then it all made sense so it wasnt shocking.

The day after charges were laid, the Coutts protesters, who said they werent associated with those arrested, ended the blockade in opposition to COVID-19 restrictions that had lasted more than two weeks.

Charged with conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief are Christopher Lysak of Lethbridge, Anthony Olienick of Claresholm, Chris Carbert of Lethbridge and Jerry Morin of Olds.

Lysak is also charged with uttering threats.

Charged with mischief and the same weapons offence are Joanne Person, 62, of Coutts, Raymond residents Justin Martin, Eastin Oler, Janx Zaremba and Evan Colenutt, Calgarian Johnson Chichow Law, Luke Berk of Red Deer, Ursula Allred of Magrath and Jaclyne Martin.

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Police said an example of the militant mindset of a small segment of the protest arose Sunday night around 8 p.m. when a semi and a large tractor attempted to ram a police vehicle. The officer was able to manoeuvre his vehicle out of the way.

Mounties allege the armed group planned to target them if they moved to break up the blockade.

In a Feb. 5 Facebook post, suspect Carbert urged material support for the Coutts blockaders and expressed his pride in being one of them.

We need to remember that this isnt only for Canada and our families but for the whole world. I dont know about you but I have never been so proud to be Canadian, lets never give up and be the example for the world, he stated.

He also posted a photo Feb. 5 of a huge Canadian flag hung at a Coutts bar signed by protesters and their supporters, among them Justin Martin, Eastin Oler and Evan Colenutt, the same names as three of the Raymond men charged.

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Another signed pureblood.

Also scrawled on the flag was SlyFox Lethbridge, a social media handle for Lysak of Lethbridge, said a spokesman for the Canadian Anti-Hate Network who said Lysak is well-known to the watchdog group.

The trailers containing the seized firearms were parked on the Coutts property of Person, who was described as very nice by a neighbour who declined to give her name.

Im guessing she didnt know they had any firearms, said the woman.

Coutts Mayor Jim Willett said he, too, was shocked by the discovery on Persons property and by all of the charges.

There was a singular jaw-dropping people here had to pick their teeth off the floor, said Willett, adding he picked up a COVID-19 infection, presumably from mingling with the border protesters.

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But he said the presence of an allegedly armed group attached to or attracted by the protest was more likely as the standoff dragged on, adding its probably untrue many of them were unknown to the main body of blockaders.

The idea that they were all strangers to everybody in the convoy probably isnt true, said Willett, noting most of those charged were from south of Calgary.

Its pretty easy to imagine thered be a nodding acquaintance.

On his Facebook page, Berk posted numerous photos and a video of the Coutts blockade dating to the end of January.

Very glad to be part of something I strongly believe in . . . the best event Ive ever been part of, wrote Berk.

He also castigated COVID-19 public health restrictions as government oppression.

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We are all outraged if someone does this, its domestic abuse but when the government does it, its not? he said.

A Calgary pastor who prominently resisted COVID-19 restrictions at his church lauded the protest as a stand against oppression, a message he delivered in person to the blockaders at Coutts.

I can say that all the people I met there were people of honour, integrity, and character. They are fathers serving their own families and all the citizens of this country, Tim Stephens, pastor at the Fairview Baptist Church, said in an email Wednesday.

The RCMP was clear that there was a small group unrelated to the main protest that neither I nor the protesters at Coutts want any association.

On Wednesday, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said invoking the Emergencies Act two days earlier was partly in response to the threat posed by extremists at Coutts.

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We need to be clear-eyed about the seriousness of these incidents and, indeed, several of the individuals at Coutts have strong ties to a far-right extreme organization with leaders who are in Ottawa, he said.

Meanwhile, in Lethbridge provincial court, the last of 13 people charged by Mounties in connection with the seizure of a large cache of ammunition and firearms at the protest had his first appearance dealt with.

Eight of the protesters have been granted bail, while Carbert, Lysak, Olienick and Colenutt are due back in court Friday.

With files from Kevin Martin and The Canadian Press

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn

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Activists say some suspects arrested at Coutts have white supremacist links - Calgary Herald