This week, the RCMP arrested four men in Québec, alleging they were attempting to create an anti-government militia.
The RCMP used the umbrella term “Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism” to categorize the suspects. Essentially, this means the RCMP alleges they share violent right-wing ideologies. Their arrests raise questions about whether Canada’s problem with right-wing extremism is getting worse.
The group is accused of storing explosive devices, dozens of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The RCMP seized all of it, and the four suspects are due to appear in Québec City court next week. Three are charged with facilitating a terrorist activity, along with weapon-possession offences.
The suspects include active members of the Canadian Armed Forces, according to the RCMP. Given the allegations that they were planning terrorist attacks for an extremist militia, the inclusion of army personnel might not be surprising.
But it could represent a stark manifestation of a deeply troubling and accelerating trend: the rise of violent right-wing extremism and anti-government or anti-authority radicalization within western democracies. This is a shift dramatically exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as many seized the opportunity to spread anti-government ideas based on restricted freedoms.
Canada not immune to violent movements
Canada often thinks it’s safe from violent movements, but it’s becoming more vulnerable. This is especially evident in places like Québec, where there has been ideological conflict in the past, including the massacre at a Québec mosque in January 2017.
However, the threat is also clear on a national level.
According to a Canadian intelligence report, far-right extremist groups actively recruit past and present members of the military and police.
There’s also a long-running pattern of militia activity in North America. Activities in the United States show how dangerous it is when violent ideologies spread.
This includes the nihilistic doctrine of accelerationism, which is a white-supremacist belief that the current state of society cannot be fixed and that the only way to repair it is to destroy and collapse the “system”.
There are versions of accelerationism on both the right and left.
The rise in right-wing extremism globally
The charges in Québec shine a spotlight on the global trend of rising right-wing extremism that has been worsening since 2016.
In the past decade, white supremacist, anti-government and militia groups have gained traction. That’s due in part to online echo chambers, growing political and social divisions and the rise and rapid spread of conspiracy theories.
The U.S. is the best and most immediate example. Groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys are well-known, playing a significant role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. These groups are keen to recruit current and former military and law enforcement officers because they know how to handle weapons and use explosives.
In 2023, the FBI repeatedly said domestic violent extremism continues to pose a threat, especially racially or ethnically motivated extremists and anti-government groups.
Accelerationism is behind a lot of this violence. It underpins efforts to speed up the disintegration of society through targeted violence and technology, with the goal of starting a racial war or civil war to bring down liberal democratic institutions.
The Base is an example of this trend. It’s a multinational, trans-border white supremacist network that supports violence to create chaos.
But this is not just a North American problem. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, far-right members of the Ukrainian Azov Regiment reportedly drew western extremists to their cause, many of whom were looking for paramilitary training, possibly to use against their own governments.
Canada: The Base, the ‘freedom convoy’
This global tide doesn’t leave Canada out. The arrests in Québec are the most recent and concerning example.
Patrik Mathews, a former Canadian Army reservist from Winnipeg, was involved in a well-known Canadian case that involved recruiting for The Base, as well as a plot to harm a journalist, Canadian investigative journalist Ryan Thorpe. His reports in the Winnipeg Free Press exposed Mathew’s membership in the The Base.
Mathew fled to the U.S. in 2019. The FBI subsequently arrested him and charged him with gun-related crimes and taking part in a riot at a Virginia protest. Mathew is now serving a long prison sentence for his part in what the FBI called a “neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.”
These examples clearly show how extremists work within national military systems to learn tactical capabilities.
The so-called “freedom convoy” occupation of Ottawa in 2022 also showed troubling connections between radicalism and some parts of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Investigations found numerous active and former Army members were either actively involved with the convoy or donated a lot of money. Some were found to have posted extreme anti-government views online. Some Army members are also vulnerable to the right-wing ideologies of a “white-ethnostate” fuelled by political rhetoric and hate.
All of this paints a bleak picture: extremist ideas are slowly taking hold in Canada as adherents aim to leverage military training to spread cynicism in democratic institutions. Previous studies back this up.
Countering the threat
To deal with this complicated and changing threat, we need a whole society, integrated approach that includes reliable top-down enforcement and monitoring and proactive, bottom-up societal resilience.
To quickly disrupt and deter extremist groups, top-down actions are very important. To properly monitor, penetrate and break up violent extremist networks, law enforcement and security services like CSIS and the RCMP need more resources, updated laws and better co-ordination.
It’s also important for the Canadian Armed Forces and other security-sensitive organizations to have better screening processes to find and purge those with extremist ideas.
But law enforcement isn’t enough. For one, it could be seen as biased, which could lead to more radicalization. Bottom-up methods are just as important for long-term prevention.
We need programs that provide teachers, social workers, community leaders and families with the tools they need to spot early signs of radicalization and do something about it in a positive way.
Read more: How not to counter the radical right
Dialogue, education
It’s important to teach people how to think critically, read the news to fight false information and learn about civic duties that stress democratic principles and diversity. This is especially critical to fight against rising hate-motivated crimes.
I am involved in a one such project. It’s called Extremism and Radicalization to Violence Prevention in Manitoba (ERIM). We strive to build resilient communities by creating awareness and early detection of radicalism.
Dialogue and education are paramount.
Canada can’t afford to wait for a disaster to happen before acting. It can’t let its soldiers — those tasked with protecting Canadians and Canada’s security — get caught up in right-wing extremism. They are a source of national pride and should remain so.
Kawser Ahmed has led a Public Safety project called Extremism and Radicalization to Violence Prevention in Manitoba (ERIM)
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
