Ottawa neo-Nazi propagandist found guilty of inciting hate, helping terrorist group
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Vancouver Sun
7 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Ontario students targeted by hundreds of antisemitic incidents, federal report finds
Over 40 per cent of antisemitic incidents targeting Ontario Jewish students since the October 7 terrorist attacks have included a Nazi salute or statements such as, 'Hitler should have finished the job,' according to a new federal report published Monday. The survey , commissioned by the Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, drew on the testimonies of 599 Jewish parents across the province who reported 781 antisemitic incidents in elementary schools and high schools between Oct. 7, 2023 and January 2025. The survey, which was conducted between January and early April 2025, found that less than 60 per cent of antisemitic incidents during this period specifically involved Israel or the ongoing war. 'Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of 'Never Again' when over 40 per cent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as 'Hitler should have finished the job,' Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on antisemitism, told National Post in a written statement. 'We need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The report found that in September 2024, a Grade 9 student in York Region District School Board (YRDSB) was berated by a classmate and called a 'terrorist, rapist and baby killer.' That same month in Waterloo, a teenage Jewish girl was surrounded by five male students as they shouted 'Sieg Heil' and made the Nazi salute around her. In October 2024, a six-year-old student with one Jewish parent was told by her Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) teacher she was 'half human.' Several others reported hearing comments such as 'Jews are vermin,' 'Jews are cheap,' and 'F–k you, Jews.' Jewish parents and students spoke of a troubling pattern in which many teachers appeared to blur the line between political advocacy and education. One in six antisemitic incidents were either 'initiated or approved by a teacher or involve a school-sanctioned activity,' wrote Robert Brym, the author of the report and a sociology professor at the University of Toronto. Last year, a six-year-old female student in Ottawa was chastised by her teacher for wearing a necklace with a pendant in the shape of Israel and was informed it actually represented 'a map of Palestine.' On several occasions, the report notes, instructors wore shirts of the region 'that lacked boundaries between regions,' and featured colours of the Palestinian flag and slogans such as 'From the river to the sea,' a rallying cry often echoed by Hamas leaders. Brym, a distinguished researcher of the Canadian Jewish community, told the Post in an email that he was 'shocked' by his findings. The stories of antisemitism he uncovered during his investigation conjured up prejudice he said he personally experienced earlier in life. 'Antisemitism was commonplace when I was a child. It's not surprising I was beaten for killing Jesus in the late '50s, even though I told the assailant I didn't even know anyone by that name. However, it's now 54 years since Canada was declared a multicultural society. Generations of students have been taught that all religious and ethnic groups should be respected. Yet many students have apparently failed to learn that lesson, at least when it comes to Jews,' he wrote. Some of the largest provincial school boards, including Toronto (TDSB), Ottawa-Carleton and York Region, reported the highest level of antisemitic incidents. However, when the concerns of Jewish parents and students were brought to school leaders, nearly half (49 per cent) 'were not investigated,' while an additional nine per cent either 'denied the incident was antisemitic or recommended that the victim be removed from the school permanently or attend school virtually.' The climate within Ontario public schools has become so alarming that 39 per cent of Jewish parents have either left or plan on moving their children to the Jewish private school system. 'The percentage would undoubtedly be higher if Jewish day schools existed in smaller communities,' the report says, pointing to the limit of such institutions outside of Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and London. 'Jewish schools in Ontario are having a hard time dealing with the inflow of new students abandoning the public system. Canadian multiculturalism is ailing and may be on its deathbed,' Brym wrote the Post. 'This federal report makes one thing clear: the status quo for Ontario Jewish students is unsustainable and unacceptable,' the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs government relations director Josh Landau told the Post in a written statement Monday afternoon, including a passing note of approval of the Ford government's decision to place several prominent Ontario school boards under supervision. The Jewish community leader called on Canadian school boards to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by several provinces and the federal government. 'The government must act to implement robust, system-wide reforms that will ensure schools are safe and inclusive for all students, including those targeted because of their Jewish identity,' Landau added. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Polish prosecutors investigate far-right lawmaker for comments on Auschwitz
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation after a far-right lawmaker described the gas chambers at the Auschwitz death camp as a 'fake.' Grzegorz Braun, a member of the European Parliament, has previously been accused of antisemitism, and extinguished Hanukkah candles in parliament with a fire extinguisher in 2023. He was a presidential candidate who won more than 6% of the votes in the first round of the election earlier this year. Speaking to Poland's Wnet radio on Thursday, Braun said that 'ritual murder is a fact, and such a thing as Auschwitz with its gas chambers is unfortunately a fake,' news agency PAP reported. The reporter then ended the interview. Some Christians in medieval Europe believed that Jews murdered Christians to use their blood for ritual purposes, something which historians say has no basis in Jewish religious law or historical fact and instead reflected anti-Jewish hostility in Christian Europe. A spokesperson for the Warsaw district prosecutor's office, Piotr Antoni Skiba, said prosecutors were conducting a preliminary investigation into Braun's potential denial of Nazi crimes. The director of the Auschwitz museum, Piotr Cywinski, said he would file a separate complaint with prosecutors. He said that 'denying the fact that gas chambers existed is not only a manifestation of anti-Semitism and an ideology of hatred; in Poland it is also a crime.' Nazi German forces murdered some 1.1 million people at the Auschwitz site in southern Poland, which was under German occupation during World War II. Most of the victims were Jews killed on an industrial scale in gas chambers, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, gay people and others. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described Braun's words as 'a disgrace.' He said that 'we must do everything so that no one in the world associates Poland with such people, such faces and such actions.' On Thursday, Braun was in the northeastern town of Jedwabne on the anniversary of a 1941 massacre in which Jews were burned alive by Polish neighbors during the Nazi occupation. He was among a group of people who tried to block the departure of cars carrying people who participated in a ceremony marking the anniversary, including Poland's chief rabbi, PAP reported. Police intervened and they were able to leave. Some Poles want the massacre site excavated to uncover possible evidence that Germans ordered Polish villagers to do the killings. Braun demanded the exhumation of the victims on Thursday.
Toronto Sun
08-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
Army commander was kept in the dark about Ottawa soldiers' 'abhorrent' Facebook group
Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright said he didn't know about the Blue Hackle Mafia until he was asked about it by the Ottawa Citizen The Blue Hackle Mafia has operated its Facebook page with around 200 participants for at least 14 years. Photo by Facebook / Blue Hackle Mafia Canada's army commander was kept in the dark about antisemitic, misogynistic and racist comments on a site operated by his soldiers despite complaints previously being made to military police, top officers and military legal officials. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Some soldiers from the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa have been operating what they call the Blue Hackle Mafia Facebook group. They have posted images of male soldiers in uniform exposing their genitals, others posing naked with Canadian Forces weapons or simulating sexual acts with each other in uniform. Some of the photos were taken at military installations. The Facebook page also includes hateful comments directed towards women, derogatory sexual comments about former prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as discussions about raping grandmothers. In other cases, posts disparage both Jews and Muslims. Complaints were made in December to military police about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, the Canadian Forces has confirmed. In addition, complaints about the private Facebook site and the contents being posted by soldiers were made to Lt. Col. Ryan Hendy, who commands the Cameron Highlanders, as well as 33 Brigade Commander Col. James McKay, according to whistleblowers. The inappropriate contents of the Facebook account and its existence was also reported to officials in the Judge Advocate General's office. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But army commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright knew nothing about the controversy surrounding the high profile reserve unit until he was briefed about the situation on June 25, the day after the Ottawa Citizen sent images from the Facebook group to DND and asked him for comment. 'On 25 June 2025, I was made aware of allegations regarding the 'Blue Hackle Mafia' private social media group involving members of the Canadian Army that featured abhorrent racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisemitic comments and images,' Wright noted in an email sent to media outlets. 'I can share that I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group.' Asked why the various military officials did not inform Wright about the Blue Hackle Mafia controversy, Department of National Defence spokeswoman Andrée-Anne Poulin stated in an email that the army is now ' looking at how information related to this matter flowed through the chain of command.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Defence insiders say it is highly unusual that the army commander would have been kept in the dark about such a high profile issue. Over the last decade, the Canadian Forces has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, harassment, racism and homophobia. The resulting scandals prompted reports and inquiries by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour, along with pledges by the military leadership to bring about change. In addition, a number of senior officers have faced charges or court proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct or assault. I can share that I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright, Canadian Forces army commander In October 2020, a series of high profile hateful conduct incidents involving army personnel forced the service to issue specific orders on how to deal with such controversies. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Blue Hackle Mafia has operated its Facebook group with around 200 participants for at least 14 years. After the Citizen submitted questions to DND about the Facebook group, Wright conferred with his senior army leadership. On June 27, Wright spoke with all division commanders about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, 'reinforcing the Army's commitment to uphold its values and the importance of applying military disciplinary and administrative processes in cases of alleged misconduct,' according to Poulin. On July 4, Wright instructed his statement about the social media group be distributed to all army personnel, she added. The military police unit in Ottawa initially examined the complaints about the Blue Hackle Mafia group but those officers turned over the case to the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case,' noted a statement issued by the office of Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan. Whistleblowers, however, pointed out that action resulted in a reserve force captain in the unit conducting an investigation into his fellow officers and soldiers. Hanrahan's email noted that military police have now re-opened their investigation into the Blue Hackle Mafia group. 'This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation,' the email added. The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) serve as the city of Ottawa's official regiment, according to the Canadian Forces. The regiment is tasked, as needed, to provide ceremonial guards of honour for visiting dignitaries and for national ceremonies and events. The reserve unit operates out of the Cartier Square Drill Hall on Queen Elizabeth Driveway. During the Second World War, the King of England first allowed the Cameron Highlanders to wear the blue hackle on their headdress as a mark of their honour and fighting pride. David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: Read More Canada Sunshine Girls Toronto Blue Jays Canada Sunshine Girls
