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On the Prowl 02
On The Prowl - News Bulletin Of Anti-Racist Action (Toronto)
Number Two - January/February/March 1994
Index:
1) Zundel's Gotta Go!
2) Zundel's Pissed
3) Open Letter To Local Anti-Fascist And Anti-Racist Activists
4) ARA Dozen In The Courts
5) What's Going On In The City...
6) Rock The Fascists!
7) Anti-Fascist Video Night
8) Treason To Whiteness Is Loyalty To Humanity
9) Blubbering Bonehead Gets Four Years
10) Blue By Day, White By Night
11) Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
12) Dudley Laws, Criminalized But Still Fighting...
13) Jewish Feminist Anti-Fascist League
14) The Heritage Of The Front
15) ANTI-FASCIST iNFO
16) Liberty Net Gets Snagged Again!
17) Great White North? Take Off!!
18) International News
19) Repression Against Anti-Fascists
20) On The Prowl Subscription Information
21) Some Stuff We Distribute
22) Get Involved!
23) Call ARA
1) Zundel's Gotta Go!!
The Trials
On November 24, 1993, four prominent organizers for the
Heritage Front appeared in court on two separate hate crime
charges; Elisse Hategan stood trial on hate-literature charges
while Gary Schipper, Ken Barker, and Wolfgang Droege were tried on
contempt charges for their refusal to cease broadcasting hate on
the Heritage Front "Anti-Immigration Hotline". These trials marked
the first hate-crimes cases in Toronto since those of neo-
Nazi/holocaust denier, Ernst Zundel; court cases which failed to
make any inroads against his propaganda machine and instead
provided him with a platform of debate. While the courts made it
look as if they were making efforts against neo-Nazi propagandists
with these four 'minor' examples, the biggest hatemonger of all,
Zundel, was still operating with impunity only a few blocks away.
ARA's Response
ARA was not about to allow these trials to proceed without a
'watchful anti-racist presence', but the importance of defining
Ernst Zundel as a necessary target was well understood. Keeping
these variables in mind, ARA called for a rally at city hall to
prevent any possible show of fascist support for the Heritage Front
members in court. From there, the demonstration would march to
Zundel's production and distribution hatequarters at 206 Carlton
Street. On the day, as anticipated there were no sign of the nazis
at the courthouse so about 150 anti-racists proceeded to the
targeted location.
The Police Counter-Response
Upon reaching Zundel's plastic-wrapped hatequarters, it was
evident that the police sought to criminalize ARA demonstrators.
Over 300 officers on foot including the Public Order Unit,
Emergency Task Force, and upwards of twenty undercover cops were
on the scene, surrounding the entire crowd of anti-racists.
Following a few speeches and several paint and egg assaults on
Zundel's house, the police moved in, brutalizing protestors and
breaking up the crowd. Several ARA activists and supporters were
arrested, including a reporter from a community radio station.
Clearly, such an unprovoked assault was a display of 'revenge
tactics' on behalf of the cops who were pathetically outnumbered
and outwitted at the June 11 ARA demo at Gary Schipper's house.
Another point of interest was that Zundel's own security was
absent, in contrast to June 11 when fifty-odd boneheads were on the
scene brandishing baseball bats. This time around, Zundel somehow
got rewarded with a massive show of police protection for which
Metro spent an estimated $200,000!! This gives some idea as to how
far the Canadian state will go to defend and harbour this nazi
propagandist.
Shutting Zundel Down Once and For All!
Zundel is a key spider in the web of international fascism,
his role being that of supplying a massive amount of nazi-
propaganda to the neo-nazi movement at home and abroad,
particularly to Germany where it is illegal to print and produce
such material. ARA has set the groundwork for a renewed campaign
against Zundel. This campaign will require the support and
involvement of the entire community, as well as international anti-
fascists, in a broad and diverse movement encompassing a variety
of tactics, and clearly not based solely on decisions by the
state's courts. For those who are concerned about the rise of
fascism in Europe and its implications in Canada, the best kind of
solidarity we can offer at the present time is working to shut
Zundel down. No platform and zero tolerance!
To find out more about the campaign against Ernst Zundel, write to
ARA for an info-package (see back cover) and further information
on how to get involved!
2) Zundel's Pissed
Ernst Zundel, long-time fan of being in the media spotlight,
seems to be getting bitter over a rash of anti-Zundel propaganda
posters in his neighbourhood. Judging from some of the hate-mail
we've recieved from Z's pals in the States, he's been mailing
copies of the posters around and whining about the unwanted
exposure. To whoever puts this stuff up: keep doing it!
3) Open Letter To Local Anti-Fascist And Anti-Racist Activists
Anti-Racist Action is ready to step up its activities to get
at the deeper forces within the fascist camp. This new phase will
include a campaign against Ernst Zundel, an international figure
in fascist circles. His primary role in today's fascist movement
is as a financier and publisher. Here in our city, Zundel has been
virtually unhindered in his production and distribution of neo-nazi
propaganda and materials to the fascist movement at home and
abroad.
Our logic for waging a specific campaign against him is as
follows:
- He is a source of funds for the nazis;
- He is a fixed target, with a known address in downtown Toronto:
a well-fortified bunker which was recently protected by upwards of
300 police during a demonstration, exposing the complicity and
deal-making between police and nazis. In recent years this location
has been the site of open gatherings such as Hitler's birthday
celebration;
- He has won numerous court cases, up to the Supreme Court of
Canada level; the liberal state solution to the problem of nazis
has clearly failed;
- Targeting the individual well-known fascists can involve a broad
base of activists with different strategies and connections without
requiring absolute political agreement on the tactics used or the
strategies required to defeat racism and fascism in the longer
term.
All these factors make a multi-level campaign possible and
desirable. We in Toronto feel we have a responsibility to our
comrades around the world as well as in our own community to see
the end of Zundel's international status. The bulk of the work
against him so far has been done by the Jewish community, as
Zundel's primary notoriety has been gained by holocaust denial. We
seek to act against him in solidarity and on our own behalf as
people of colour, Jews, queers, and all others targeted by the far-
right. We need your help in mounting this campaign and at this time
issue a call to action.
Towards victory,
Anti-Racist Action
4) What's Going On In The City...
Ready for Round Two?
Locally, things have been quiet....like the calm before the
storm. As an anti-racist force in Toronto, ARA is faced with new
terrain. Our campaign against the Heritage Front has succeeded in
ridding our streets and schools of nazis, but for the time being
only. With prominent HF members locked up in jail or tied up in
court, many anti-racists would believe that the fight is over. No
way. The HF goes underground, builds up its reserves, and comes
back like the plague. A look at the history of the far-right in
Canada lays out a consistent pattern of this effect. The terrain
the anti-racist movement faces relates specifically to this
situation in that we are dealing with an enemy that learns from its
losses and continues accordingly. The fact that they have been
maintaining a lower profile has, in part, resulted in anti-racist
demonstrations that begin to show signs of lower numbers. The
urgency just isn't there for many people who would like to sit back
and think that just because the fascists are a no-show, ARA has
everything taken care of. Although ARA has dealt the HF a fair
share of beatings and set-backs, they are still active on various
levels.
While the "Heritage Hotline" has been wrapped up in the court
system facing the Human Rights Commission, the HF have been
determined to continue 'business as usual'. The "Equal Rights for
Whites" hateline (initiated by Ken Barker) has merged with the
"Euro-Canadian Action League" line (set up by Les Jasinski and Marc
LeMire). The HF also recently activated a "Euro-Canadian Freedom
Front" hateline (featuring the voice of Gary Schipper), alongside
a "Racialist Rock" line which provides boneheads with info on
upcoming nazi-shows and events in Toronto and Southern Ontario.
This most recent hateline is a prime example of their concentrated
strategy for cultivating and expanding their street scene. The
"Racialist Rockline" features the voice of Front member George
Harbottle and serves as a link that holds together a loosely
affiliated collection of white power bands here and in the U.S.
On February 26, a secret white power concert hosted by the
'Northern Hammerskins' took place in the East end of Toronto. A
similar "Rock Against Communism" show is planned for the end of
April, set to coincide with Adolph Hitler's birthday....and they
are already hinting at an "Aryan-Fest 94" to be held this summer,
complete with at least ten 'racist rock' bands.
The Heritage Front are well into the beginning stages of a
comeback. More than ever, it is important to keep up the fight
against the fascists. Attack them wherever they fester!
5) ARA Dozen In The Courts
Last June 11, after a series of neo-Nazi terrorist attacks in
the city, ARA struck a blow against the Heritage Front. A
demonstration at the nerve centre of the Front's telephone hate-
line, the home of Gary Schipper, resulted in smashed windows and
lots of cleanup for Front lackeys. Gary moved out and the Front was
messed up for months after. But part of the price for this victory
were the arrests of five ARA supporters - seemingly at random -
over the following six(!) months at various anti-racist events. The
case of the five is still following its twisted path through the
court system and it looks like they'll be facing a judge on
mischief charges in May.
ARA withstood another cop attack on November 24 outside the
headquarters of Ernst Zundel, internationally-known Holocaust-
denier, hate-propagandist and creep. Cops surrounded the crowd of
anti-racists, waiting for any excuse to take revenge for the
embarrassment of June 11. A few eggs hitting the plastic sheet
covering Zundel's bunker provided the opportunity for them, and
seven ARA supporters were busted, again at random. Support the ARA
dozen! The cops are trying to scare people away from ARA demos, and
anti-racist work in general. Fighting racism is not a crime!
6) Rock The Fascists!
"Rock Against Racism" is a small collective of promoters that
sets up benefit concerts for various local anti-racist, multi-
cultural groups and projects. In its current form, the R.A.R.
collective has been active for over a year now, with over a dozen
concerts having taken place in Toronto. We have been able to hold
regular benefits for Anti-Racist Action as well as raise legal fees
for a protestor charged at an anti-fascist demo and help to cover
the medical expenses of a Tamil man who was beaten into a coma by
a neo-Nazi skinhead.
Rock Against Racism concerts are meant to be open to all
communities and people. This means that our shows are always all-
ages and attempts are made to provide wheelchair-accessible venues
whenever possible. Also, as we are committed to supporting
independent music and culture, we do not accept any corporate
sponsorship of our events.
We want our shows to be as musically and politically diverse
as possible. So if you're a promoter, musician, DJ or just someone
who wants to help out, we want to hear from you! You can reach
R.A.R. through the ARA address or leave a message at (416) 631-
8835.
7) Anti-Fascist Video Night: "Nazis, Lies And Videotape and The
Zundel Connection"
CINECYCLE
317 Spadina Ave. (rear entrance, S. of Baldwin, east of Spadina)
April 13, 1994 @ 7:00 p.m. - Admission: $3
8) Treason To Whiteness Is Loyalty To Humanity
The HF Gets Played...
In an unexpected turn of events, former Heritage Front member,
Elisse Hategan has broken her allegiance with the white supremacist
group to testify against other HF members and divulge information
on the group's activities to the police. This came to light
following a trial in which Hategan pleaded guilty to charges of
inflammatory libel for producing and distributing hate literature.
In a CTV interview, she revealed that the group was responsible for
a series of firebombings including two such attacks on the home of
an anti-racist activist in Kitchener. Hategan also stated that the
Heritage Front encouraged its members to join the Reform Party and
to make use of welfare to finance the group's activities, and that
almost all of the 100 members she knew possessed a firearm.
Wolfie's Famous Last Words: "They'll Never Shut Us Down"
On March 15/94, Hategan testified in court against Wolfgang
Droege, Gary Schipper, and Ken Barker - HF organizers charged with
setting up and running a racist telephone hateline in an effort to
evade an Oct.8/93 court order preventing the Front's placement of
pre-recorded racist messages. Testimony revealed that Ken Barker
was given a forged, predated, written resignation from the HF in
order for him to operate the "Equal Rights for Whites" hateline
under 'non-member' status in the face of last year's court order.
Barker's line was set up on July 28/92, six days after the first
trial began. During a March 23/94 hearing, Droege denied the
allegations made and testified he "seriously doubts" he told
Hategan of his plans.
Disavowing her involvement with the HF, Hategan offered
further information on the group's activities and even admitted to
spying on them for four months prior to her official defection.
She also stated that most of her racist views had been obtained
after she had joined the manipulative ranks of the Heritage Front.
9) Blubbering Bonehead Gets Four Years
Following a Nazi-gig last summer, featuring the bands Aryan
and RaHoWa (Racial Holy War), Jason (Little Jay) Hoolans and his
racist skinhead mates went on a rampage. On that night of June 6th,
Hoolans 20, kicked a Sri Lankan immigrant into a coma, resulting
in a state of permanent paralysis. In a videotaped interview with
police, Hoolans stated that while he doesn't think all non-whites
should be killed, the world would be better off without them and
that he doesn't "like to see all the immigrants coming in, taking
our jobs..."
On March 8, Hoolans pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault
charge, and begged for the court's forgiveness. Pulling the old
"reformed-racist" routine, a teary-eyed Little Jay did his best to
convince the judge that the 9 months already spent in prison had
given him the opportunity to see the error of his ways. They saw
through his act and slapped him with a four-year jail sentence.
10) Blue By Day, White By Night
One of Metro's 'swinest', Const. Brad Coulbeck, 24, faces
charges over his links with the Heritage Front, stemming from a
condemning statement given by ex-Front member, Elisse Hategan.
Coulbeck is not only on the HF's mailing list, but he has
distributed HF material and had even attended a Ku Klux Klan rally
in the U.S. His connections to the Heritage Front raise many
questions about the relationship between Metro Police and white
supremacist groups in this city. What was the extent of Coulbeck's
role within the HF? How many other officers are involved? What
police information has been shared with the Heritage Front as a
result? Have HF/police links comprised cases against anti-racists
while at the same time protecting neo-Nazis from further criminal
charges or investigation? The recent Metro Police collusion and
cooperation with neo-nazi, Ernst Zundel on November 24, 1993 and
the wearing of white supremacist regalia by an undercover officer
on that date illuminate the broader implications.
An investigation into the torture-death of a Somali man at the
hands of the Canadian military led to the revelation that there was
not just one white supremacist in the forces, but an entire
regiment infested with them. It is equally critical that the police
force be brought under scrutiny following the revelation of the
existence of one neo-Nazi scumbag within its ranks.
11) Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
Euro-Canadians...The Silent Majority?
The "Voice of Canadians Committee" held their founding meeting
in Toronto on December 15/93 at the Swansea Town Hall. Self-
acclaimed as the "Unhyphenated Canadians", these reactionaries are
located between the Reform Party and the Heritage Front on the far-
right scale. Believing that the source of their economic and social
woes stem from "taxpayer-funded special interest groups", their
material drivels on about how their "free society" and upper class
stature has been violated by immigration, employment equity, etc.
Suggested name changes: Short-Sighted-Canadians, Got-It-All-And-
Still-Want-More-Canadians, Euro-Ignoramus-Canadians, Whining-
Windbag-Canadians, Ku-Klux-Kanadians.
Finding The Antidote For CURE
An attack on anti-homophobia education is the first step in
a transparent attempt by the religious right to take control of
Metro school boards. Using front group tactics imported from south
of the border, well-known homophobia bigots have joined forced
under the banner of CURE - "Citizens United for Responsible
Education" - and taken aim at a package of mild educational reforms
introduced in the Toronto Board of Education. With school board
elections coming up in the fall, their sights are now set on
overturning the current board and replacing them with a crop of
homophobic, conservative trustees who will roll back any small
gains made in anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-homophobic
education over the past 20 years.
CURE presents itself as a group of concerned parents who worry
that the Board's recent steps toward countering homophobia in the
school system means young people will be (gasp!) converted by pro-
queer education. In fact CURE is led by a notorious collection
right-wingers with shaky histories whose agenda includes the
supposed "curing" of queers, questionable psychiatric ideologies
and religious fundamentalism. Watch out for CURE members, Dian
Malott and Sue Careless. Furthermore, the reforms they're attacking
were only a small step towards real (and long overdue) anti-
homophobic education. However, if we want to see large steps taken,
we'll have to wipe CURE off the map and push the Board to go the
extra mile ahead rather than letting the bunch of them drag us back
to the stone age. Students are already meeting to make sure that
these kinds of decisions - about what kind of school environment
we'll be working in - aren't made by the religious right, and more
to the point, aren't made without us! If you want to get involved,
contact us through ARA at 631-8835.
12) Dudley Laws, Criminalized But Still Fighting...
The Black community is outraged that Dudley Laws, organizer
for the Black Action Defense Committee, has been convicted of
smuggling people across the U.S.-Canadian border. In a hearing
which followed his conviction, his lawyers brought out the evidence
that at the time he was charged, Metro cops were collecting
information on Black community activists and building files on
people; some of them government employees who had never been
convicted of a crime. Laws in particular was singled out as a
target because of his leading role in demanding justice for Black
people who have suffered at the hands of Metro's finest. His phone
was tapped for a year and undercovers were sent to him, begging for
help in leaving the country and offering money for the service.
Despite all evidence that Laws was entrapped by police because
they didn't like his politics, the judge upheld his conviction. Not
too surprising, considering this is the same judge who had ordered
the wiretap in the first place! At his most recent hearing, Laws
was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Call BADC at 416-656-2232 for an update on the case and on
efforts to further expose the malicious police campaign against the
Black community in general. BADC also needs money to cover legal
costs, so send some to their office at 386 Vaughan Road, Toronto
M6C 2N8.
13) Jewish Feminist Anti-Fascist League
"The Jewish Feminist Anti-Fascist League (JFAFL) came together
in November 1992, to join the fight against fascism at a time when
fascist and racist organizing was escalating in Toronto and
globally. Fascism is manifested in many ways. We feel that as
Jewish feminist activists our experiences of anti-Semitism, and
also sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism, and so on, help provide
us with a complex analysis of the structure and operations of
oppression. The far right has made many gains; consider the number
of recently established white-supremacist groups and the increase
of "above ground" anti-semitic race-hate literature, as well as
fascist violence. The extreme right has also gained legitimacy in
mainstream electoral politics across North America, as well as
internationally. Symptomatic of the rise of the neo-right are the
renewed and vicious campaigns against immigrants, refugees, gays,
lesbians, people of colour, women and people with disabilities."
(exerpt from JFAFL pamphlet, March 8/1994-International Women's
Day) JFAFL, P.O. Box 291, Stn. B, Toronto, M5T 2W2.
Commemorate the 51st Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising! An
evening of readings and presentations by the Jewish Feminist Anti-
Fascist League April 19th @ the Jewish Community Centre, Bloor &
Spadina, 7pm.
14) The Heritage Of The Front
A February 22, 1994 article in the Toronto Sun reported that
Armand Siksna, a member of the Toronto-based neo-Nazi Nationalist
Party (NP), and the first person ever charged under Canada's hate-
crime laws (back in 1973), had recently joined the right-wing
Reform Party. This revelation, coupled with, for example, the
November 1992 awarding of the 'Heritage Front Merit Award' to
former Western Guard Party (WPG) leaders John Ross Taylor and Jacob
Prins, for years of service, serves as a timely reminder that
today's neo-Nazi organizations such as the HF didn't just suddenly
appear out of thin air, but rather have grown out of the remmnants
of previous hate groups. A brief look back at the workings of
racist groups of the 60s and 70s like the Nationalist Party and the
Western Guard can make clear the heritage of the Front.
Many prominent members of the HF were members in good standing
of either the Nationalist Party or its earlier incarnation, the
Western Guard Party. Wolfgang Droege joined the WGP around 1974,
and was arrested in 1975 for writing neo-nazi slogans around town,
and for assaulting a Toronto Sun photographer. (He's also done time
for possession of cocaine, and for his part in the attempted
invasion and takeover of the island of Dominica.) As well, in the
late 70s, he organized in Toronto for David Duke's Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan. Front members Peter Mistrevski, Max French and Nicola
Polinuk (ex-wife of Nationalist Party founder Don Andrews) were all
active members of the NP.
The neo-Nazi Western Guard Party was born in 1972 out of the
ashes of the Edmund Burke Society, an anti-communist "conservative
organization" formed in 1967 by none other than Don Andrews and
Paul Fromm. Led by Andrews, and later, John Ross Taylor, the WG's
Manifesto declared the Party to be "dedicated to preserve and
promote the basic social and spiritual values of the White People",
and further stated that "we fight for our Christian moral values,
our European Racial heritage and the spiritual and cultural rebirth
of our people".
The WGP had several fronts; it published a magazine entitled
Straight Talk, and established a white-power telephone hotline.
Its members maced a meeting of African students at the University
of Toronto in 1974, attacked a Black band taping a show at CITY-TV
in the same year, and vandalized numerous synagogues. As well,
Taylor, Andrews and Siksna, among others, ran for political office
- Andrews ran for Mayor of Toronto several times, and the others
generally ran for the position of alderman - generally coming in
dead last.
In 1976, Andrews and another WGP members were arrested for
plotting to launch a bomb attack on a visiting Israeli soccer Team
at Varsity Stadium. With Andrews in prison, John Ross Taylor, a
confirmed fascist since the 1930s, took control of the WGP. Taylor
renamed the organization the Western Guard Universal, and stated
that its aim was to fight "Jewish-Freemasonic-Communist world-
destroyers everywhere."
In June of 1979, Taylor was ordered by a Canadian Human Rights
Commission Tribunal to stop broadcasting white-power telephone
messages. A perusal of type-written copies of some of these
messages reveals them to have been along the lines of today's HF
hateline drivel - attacking "commies and race-traitors" and blaming
multi-culturalism and Jews for the bulk of the world's problems.
The messages didn't stop and Taylor spent 243 days in jail. At this
point the WGP basically fell apart, as many of its members left to
join Droege's Canadian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which he had
begun to organize in 1976, or Don Andrew's newly formed
organization - the Nationalist Party - which he had formed upon his
release from prison in 1977. The fact that Taylor is a nutcase
probably contributed to the demise of the WGU - among other things,
Taylor is convinced that white sugar is the cause of homosexuality,
and anybody who has seen the documentary Blood in the Face might
remember seeing Taylor rambling on about the importance of certain
numbers in the bible. Taylor made the news again recently when it
was discovered that he had contributed to an anti-semitic loony-
tune conspiracy-theory type book entitled The New World Order in
North America: A Secret American Military Counter Intelligence
Report by University of Toronto professor Robert O'Driscoll. Taylor
wrote under the pseudonym "His Excellency J.J. Wills".
The NP didn't really differ all that much from the WGP, in
ideology or action. A newsletter, The Nationalist Report, was
published, and NP members including Max French and Robert Ruminski
ran for Mayor in Toronto municipal elections, as recently as 1988.
In 1990 Nicola Polinuk ran for a school trustee byelection as a
member of the National Party. Andrews made a real effort to attract
skinheads to the NP - a 1988 Toronto Sun article entitled "Young
Face of Racism" reported that NP members were regularly holding
'teach-ins' with up to 70 skinheads, but Stanley Barret, in Is God
a Racist, aptly describes the bulk of NP members as being misfits,
losers, or alcoholics. The NP's presence in Toronto has been all
but non-existent as of late.
In 1989 several NP members travelled to Libya in order to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of Khadafy's revolution - including
Droege, French and Mitrevski - and it was at this time that the
idea for the HF came up. Apparently, some NPers had grown tired of
Don Andrew's "fuhrer-like leadership" and the NP's inability to do
anything except contest local elections. The HF was born a few
months later in Toronto.
There is an overall continuity throughout white supremacist
organizing in the on-going development of strategies throughout
its history. Fascist organizations in Canada such as the Heritage
Front are held together by the experience and leadership carried
over from pre-existing fascist structures, complete with well-
established ties to other existing groups worldwide. Street-level
recruitment of skinheads is of on-going importance to them, not
only to swell their ranks, but to cultivate and nurture the next
generation of organizers who, like their experienced leaders, will
continue down the same path. For anti-racists and anti-fascists it
is of utmost importance to become aware of this historical pattern
to establish how far they have come, where they intend to go, and
to ultimately stop them dead in their tracks.
For Further Reading On The Far-Right In Canada:
"Antisemitism in Canada: History and Interpretation", by Alan
Davies, editor (Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University
Press, 1992).
"Hate on Trial: The Zundel Affair, the Media and Public Opinion in
Canada", by Gabriel Weimann and Conrad Winn (Oakville, Ontario:
Mosaic Press, 1986).
"Is God a Racist?: The Right Wing in Canada," by Stanley R. Barrett
(Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, 1987).
"Les skinheads et l'extreme droite", by Daniel Hubert and Yves
Claude de la Ligue des droits et libertes (Montreal, Quebec: VLB
Editeur, 1991).
"Shades of Right: Nativist and Fascist Politics in Canada, 1920-
1940", by Martin Robin (Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto
Press, 1992).
"The Swastika And The Maple Leaf: Fascist Movements in Canada in
the Thirties" by Lita-Rose Betcherman (Toronto, Ontario: Fitzhenry
& Whiteside, 1975).
"White Hoods: Canada's Ku Klux Klan", by Julian Sher (Vancouver,
BC: New Star, 1983).
15) ANTI-FASCIST iNFO
ANTI-FASCIST iNFO (AFi) is a collective of predominantly
people of colour in Vancouver, some currently defendants on charges
arising from anti-fascist demonstrations, with the aim of gathering
and distributing information on the extreme right in Canada. They
are producing and distributing a range of material including
pamphlets and posters.
"We see anti-fascism as a protracted struggle with no clear
victory or conclusion, until there are fundamental changes in the
white supremacist world order. Institutionalized racism and the
oppression of Third World peoples globally, creates a climate that
inherently breeds racists. At the same time, we have witnessed the
explosive rise of fascism in Europe, and are determined to prevent
it from developing into a mass movement here."
Contributions and support can be sent to...ANTI-FASCIST iNFO,
Box 35, 1744 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC, V5N 2S3
16) Liberty Net Gets Snagged Again!
Vancouver's high-profile fascist Tony McAleer, connected to
the Aryan Resistance Movement (ARM), Aryan Nations, and White Aryan
Resistance (WAR), last year sponsored an attempt to bring WAR's Tom
Metzger from the US on a Canadian speaking tour. Vancouver anti-
racists succeeded in shutting this venture down on the evening of
January 22/93. Now, exactly a year later, McAleer is under fire
for his activities which focus around the "Canadian Liberty Net",
a telephone hateline which is the central propaganda and recruiting
tool of Vancouver-area fascists. A federal human rights tribunal
has ordered McAleer and his associates "anywhere in Canada" to
cease distributing hatred and contempt telephonically, following
a message which said the ancient Celts had "not such a bad idea"
when they used to "take queers and trample them into peat bogs."
McAleer is being represented by Doug Cristie, a fascist lawyer who
has represented the likes of Ernst Zundel, in this, the second run-
in with the courts "Liberty-Net" has faced. Remember...three
strikes and you're out, racist scum!
17) Great White North? Take Off!!
ON THE PROWL would like to make this section of the bulletin
a regular feature in documenting the current struggles against
racism and fascism in Canada. If you are active in anti-fascist
organizing outside of Toronto, drop us a line and let us know
what's up. Also, we are always in need of a steady flow of
newspaper clippings on far-right activity in other cities. If you
aren't necessarily a member of any group, but have information on
fascist activity in your neck of the woods, drop us a line at: ON
THE PROWL, PO Box 664, Stn C, Toronto, Ontario M6J 3S1 (All
information treated in strictest confidence.)
* Setting A Precedent In Kitchener-Waterloo
On Saturday February 12, anti-fascist youth in Kitchener-
Waterloo (K-W) marched through the streets to demonstrate at city
hall against racism and fascism. En route the demonstration
targeted the European Sound Import store on King St., nazi-owned
property used as meeting space for the Heritage Front and location
where holocaust-denier David Irving attempted to speak last fall.
Eggs were thrown at the shopfront and the windows were plastered
with anti-racist stickers.
The demo was called by K-W's Anti-Racist Group (ARG) to bring
attention to the rise in racist and fascist attacks in the city.
An anti-racist activist's home had been fire-bombed by fascists
twice, a Jewish shopowner was assaulted by nazis, and attacks on
people of colour by the police. Incidents such as these have fallen
on the deaf ears of a community which has chosen to sweep them
under the carpet. So once again, the impetus has come from the
youth to fight alongside those who are resisting the attacks.
Toronto anti-fascists extend full support to the actions of groups
like ARG.
In Toronto, ARA has made life very difficult for fascists, so
scumbags like the Heritage Front retreat to smaller towns like K-
W to recruit in the high schools. This is countered by the efforts
of grassroots anti-racist organizing that sets a precedent on the
streets and in the highschools. Fascists will not be tolerated in
the community! To contact ARG, write: 170 University Ave West,
Suite 12 Box 133, Waterloo, Ont. N2L 3E9
* Racist Graffiti
In Oakville, spray-painted swastikas and neo-nazi slogans
appeared on the outer walls and three portable classrooms at White
Oaks Secondary School. Nazi graffiti was also found in an elevator
at the Medical Sciences Building of the University of Toronto.
Anti-racist students everywhere can combat the spread of neo-nazi
spray-painting and propaganda in their own schools by tearing down
nazi-posters and replacing their racist, sexist and homophobic
filth with anti-racist posters, etc. Be creative!
Write to ON THE PROWL with any information about neo-nazi
activity in YOUR school (All information treated in strictest
confidence) and ask for a package of anti-racist posters and
stickers to get you started. We would also like to print statements
and reports from local highschool groups who are active against
racism and fascism within their schools and neighborhoods.
* Fighting Fascism In The Capital!
Ottawa Anti-Racist Action seems to be off to a good start on
its monumental task of squashing the fascists in the nation's
capital. They have just released the first issue of an anti-racist
newsletter, and they can be reached for general information at P.O.
Box 4721, Station E, Ottawa, K1S 5H9.
* Nazis Off Campus
On March 30/94, three-hundred students and anti-racists
demonstrated at Queens University in Kingston against a neo-Nazi
presence on campus. One particular fascist has been responsible for
a rash of neo-Nazi posters and an attempt to sue an anti-
sexist/racist student newspaper.
* Fascist Sues B.C. Anti-Racist Organizer
David Lethbridge, director of B.C's Salmon Arm Coalition
Against Racism (SACAR), has become the target of a lawsuit for
"defamation of character," launched by Eileen Pressler. Pressler
is the head of Salmon Arm's Council on Public Affairs, a right-wing
organization which reproduces pro-fascist, holocaust denial, anti-
Semitic and racist materials in its monthly Council on Public
Affairs Digest which claims to have a circulation of 12,000.
SACAR has been committed to exposing key links in the
international far-right movements existing in the Okanagan region,
organizing demos and conferences, disseminating information and
bringing attention to fascist activity that has been largely
downplayed by the mass media. It seems they have been successful
to some degree in light of a lawsuit which seems to be aimed at
shutting down SACAR's public campaigning.
Pressler's lawyer, Doug Christie, is well-known for
representing the KKK in Manitoba, the Canadian Liberty Net for its
racist hateline, Rudy Stanko of the paramilitary fascist Church of
the Creator, nazi propagandist Ernst Zundel, anti-Semitic teachers
Jim Keegstra and Malcolm Ross, and others.
If this lawsuit is successful, it could mark the beginning of
a series of similar moves against the anti-racist movement, aimed
at discrediting and hindering anti-racist work on the whole. SACAR
is appealing for support, especially for contributions to its legal
defence fund. Donations can be sent to: SACAR DEFENCE, 3521 20 Ave.
NE, Salmon Arm, B.C., V1E 4M4
(condensed from People's Voice, Feb.94)
18) International News
Bloodied And Humiliated
On January 15, 1994, Blood and Honour, a neo-nazi skinhead
group, attempted to hold a memorial concert for Ian Stuart in
London. Stuart, who died in car accident last year, was the singer
for Skrewdriver, a fascist skinhead band that also operated Blood
and Honour. Because of previous successes by anti-fascists in
shutting down fascist gigs this one was organized strictly by a
word of mouth basis. As well, Combat 18 (C18) thugs (a paramilitary
fascist organization), provided security in an attempt to foil
anti-fascist efforts to smash the gig. All of which proved useless
when militants from Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) thwarted their every
manoeuvre. AFA is national anti-fascist organization in Britain
that was formed in 1985 to, in their own words, "cause maximum
disruption to fascist activities". Unlike groups such the Anti-Nazi
League (a Socialist Workers Party front group), AFA attempts to
smash the fascists whenever they rear their ugly heads. January
15th was no exception. Despite C18 attempts to redirect nazi scum
to a series of assembly points, AFA militants always managed to
find them. Even the cops called the AFA ability to locate the
fascists as "uncanny". The day ended with nazi skinheads and C18
stewards holed up in a pub surrounded by riot police. When AFA once
again arrived on the scene, the fascists panicked and tried to
flee. The riot police smashed their way into the pub and badly
beaten and bloodied fascists were dragged out and arrested. Other
fascists attempting to flee the vicinity received a beating from
AFA militants in the area. The key to AFA's success was their
intelligence gathering capacity and on that day they "controlled
the play, were ahead of the game and made all the decisive moves".
Write: AFA, BM 1734, London, WC1N 3XX.
Cyber-Nazis?
The recent media hype about an "information superhighway" and
the explosive growth of computer-based telecommunications hasn't
been ignored by fascists seeking new ways to spread their
propaganda and unify their movement.
The Thule Network is a computer network linking together over
a dozen computer bulletin boards in Germany. This network, based
in 3 western states, allows neo-nazis to communicate with one
another, pass along news and propaganda and even provides
"services" for the movement. For instance, if a small group of
fascists with few resources wanted to put out a publication they
can log onto a bulletin board and be provided with graphics. A
movement lawyer can look over the text for any legal problems.
Other information on the network can range from intelligence on
anti-fascists to bomb-making directions. Access to the various
bulletin boards is guarded by a series of passwords and loyalty
tests which allows neo-Nazis a secure means of communication.
This network, which has been operating for over a year now,
not only provides a link between various fascist organizations and
individuals and allows them to exchange information but to be able
to co-ordinate rallies, gigs and actions
The Thule Network along with cellular phones, fax machines
and telephone hotlines is helping bring together a diverse and
often fractious neo-Nazi scene into a united movement.
Any anti-fascist hackers out there?
19) Repression Against Anti-Fascists
Freedom For Kurdish And Turkish Anti-Fascists In Germany
On April 4, 1992, a group of masked people burst into a
restaurant in Berlin where members of the neo-nazi Deutsche Liga
(German League) were having a meeting. The attack resulted in a
leading member of the Deutsche Liga, Gerhard Kaindl, being stabbed
to death. A year and a half later, on November 15, police raided
the apartments of 4 anti-fascists and arrested them in connection
with Kaindl's murder. The four, Erkan, Fatma, Abidin and Mehmet are
facing charges of murder, attempted murder, abetting a murder and
assault. The basis for the charges against the four is the result
of a confession extracted from Erkan who was beaten and tortured
by police. Since then, a fifth person, Bahretin, has been arrested.
All five anti-fascists are being held in prison - some in solitary
confinement - until their trial.
In stark contrast to their unwillingness to investigate
numerous racist attacks and murders, Berlin police immediately
launched an intensive investigation into Kaindl's death. This
investigation consisted of massive surveillance of the militant
anti-fascist scene and a reward of 100,000 DM was offered. Police
paid particular attention to the Turkish and Kurdish group Antifa
Genclik (Anti-fascist Youth). The five comrades are all members of
this group which has been at the forefront of militant anti-fascist
resistance in Germany.
Despite the fact that dozens of people have been murdered by
German neo-nazis over the last few years, many fascists receive
minimal prison sentences. A double standard applies to anti-
fascists who generally receive much harsher treatment at the hands
of the German judicial system. The legal proceedings for the five
anti-fascists will held in a "show-trial" atmosphere with the state
attempting to make an example of those who fight back against the
fascists. All of this is part of a well-organized campaign to
criminalize and isolate the militant anti-fascist scene in Berlin.
To resist this it is important that anti-fascists everywhere show
their solidarity with these comrades.
For more info: FreundInnen und UnterstuetzerInnen c/o Kreuzbuero,
Grossbeerenstr. 89, 10963 Berlin, Germany
The State Of Minnesota Vs. The Anti-Racist Movement
On October 22/93, the Progressive Student Organization held
an anti-racist rally to counter an announced demonstration by neo-
nazis at the University of Minnesota campus. Daniel Simmer, one of
two neo-Nazi skinheads who showed up sporting brass knuckles,
charged the demo injuring several people. In response, Kieran
Frazier, long-time anti-racist activist, defended himself by
clocking the bonehead with a flashlight. Kieran now faces up to ten
years in prison and a $20,000 fine, while the nazi remains at
large. Several organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Northern
Hammerskins, which Daniel Simmer belongs to, are active in the Twin
Cities where they've organized, vandalized, and carried out violent
attacks. In fact, two years to the day before the October 22nd
demonstration, on the same spot, supporters of Tom David's White
Student Union attcked members of Anti-Racist Action and the
Progressive Student Organization, resulting in a concussion for one
activist.
Kieran goes to trial April 12/94 [Ed. Note: The trial has been
delayed to August 2, 1994]. Write or call the Prosecutor and the
DA and demand all charges be dropped!
County Attorney Mike Freeman
C2000 Hennepin County Govt. Center
300 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, Mn 55415
(612) 348-5550
Info/Contact: Anti-Fascist Defense Committee c/o Minneapolis ABC,
P.O. Box 7075, Minneapolis, MN 55407 USA
20) On The Prowl Subscription Information
On The Prowl is the voice behind Toronto's Anti-Racist Action. On
The Prowl provides a forum for anti-fascist strategies and reports
up-to-date news on street-level organizing against racism and
fascism. On The Prowl is not interested in debating with the
fascists, but it does want to hear from other anti-racist activists
with feedback, opinions and reports. On The Prowl comes out every
two months...free on the streets...$5/year subscription by mail
($25/year for institutions). Bulk copies to distribute in schools
and events are available at $5/20 copies. (We accept Canadian Tire
money!) Write to ON THE PROWL at the address below and get involved
today!
21) Some Stuff We Disitribute
Boys In The Hoods...This pamphlet serves as a basic overview of
the neo-Nazi movement in Toronto..........................FREE
CARF-Campaign Against Racism and Fascism...International
perspectives and news on community action against racism and
fascism in Britain.......................................$2.00
Fighting the Klan...A thesis produced by the Sojourner Truth
Organisation in the U.S. to combat the rise of fascism...$2.00
Fascism in the U.S...An historical survey, also produced by the
STO, on the operations of neo-Nazi groups like the Ku Klux Klan in
the U.S..................................................$2.00
No KKK, No Fascist USA!...Newspaper of the John Brown Anti-Klan
Committee................................................$1.00
Race Traitor...A quarterly publication containing essays and
letters on the issues of race and class..................$5.00
Turning The Tide...Journal of anti-racist activism, research and
education from P.A.R.T.(People Against Racist Terror)....$2.00
New Stuff!!
ARA Education Package...an essential collection of articles and
essays compiled for the serious anti-racist. Includes everything
from a look at racism, sexism and homophobia, through an historical
documentation of the far-right, to insight on the various examples
of anti-racist projects and experiences. Complete with reading and
resource lists. Order yours now...Knowledge is Power!....$7.00
ARA Info-Package #1:Fighting Fascism in the Highschools...Every-
thing students need to know in order to combat far-right activity
in their schools, including a collection of stickers and posters
to get started with......................................$5.00
ARA Info-Package #2:Zundel's Gotta Go!...a collection of articles,
clippings and pamphlets which serve as a primer for all who are
interested in forwarding the Campaign to Stop Zundel.....$5.00
Far-Right Clippings Packages...these collections of mainstream
media newspaper clippings, dating from the late-80s to present-day,
offer some background on the far-right in Canada. Nazis in the
military..boneheads on parade..anti-racist demonstrations. It's all
here! Vol.1/2/3/4...................................$4.00 each
T-Shirts & Buttons:
T-Shirts (Two designs - not shown) are $10.00 each.
Buttons (Five designs - not shown) are $1.00 each.
Postage: Add 20% of the total cost of merchandise with a $1.00
minimum. For outside of North America postage costs are double.
Distribution List: Send $1.00 for a complete list of literature,
T-Shirts, buttons, videos and much more.
22) Get Involved!
In the fight against racism and fascism, our aim is confront
and hinder the activities of the far-right in Canada. Everyone has
a role to play in ARA, whether they feel confident in street-level
actions or not. From legal observers to scouts and first-aid
people, from leafleters to people who can write articles or speak
in highschools, ARA needs people with a whole range of skills if
it is to continue to succeed. Fill in and mail the form below and
join today!
This information will be kept confidential and is not for public
broadcast or print.
_ I want to be informed of future ARA events
_ I want to be informed of future ARA demonstrations
_ I can help poster for ARA events/protests
_ All of the above
Name:
Mailing Address:
City: Code:
Tel.#:
Comments:
23) Call ARA
ARA will expose and oppose organized racism and hatred through
education, mass action and support of broader anti-racist action.
Want to get involved? Call or write:
ARA
P.O. Box 664, Stn. C
Toronto, Ont.
M6J 3S1
Canada
Telephone: 416 631 8835
