‘No place for hate’ says Hamilton Mayor as hate group plans visit

“Hamilton has no place for hate,” declared Mayor Andrea Horwath in response to a planned visit to the city by alt-right hate group Diagolon.

“Everyone has the right to live in their city free of racism and discrimination, and as leaders, we have a responsibility to stand up to hate every time we see or hear it. This group is not welcome here.”

Anti-racism and other community groups are asking venues in Hamilton say no to any request by Diagolon to rent space for a rally this summer, with the organization – called “ideologically motivated” and “violent” in a 2022 House of Commons report – reportedly planning on stopping in Hamilton on July 31 as part of its Canadian tour.

Horwath made similar comments at Council last week, garnering widespread support from her colleagues. “I fully support Mayor Horwath’s position. There is no room for hate in Hamilton,” said Councillor Craig Cassar on social media.

Community groups in Hamilton are asking venues in the city to shut their doors to Diagolon, a far-right group named in a 2022 House of Commons report as an example of “ideologically motivated violent extremism.”

Diagalon advertised a list of cities it was planning to visit over the next few weeks, including Hamilton.

The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) and its allies are calling for action to stop Diagalon from a rally in the city, saying “we must stand together against white supremacy.”

HCCI said in a statement Diagalon espouses “violent, neo-fascist, eugenicist views,” with a goal of inciting racist violence. Quoting the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, HCCI said Diagolon’s end game is “ultimately fascist: to use violence to take power and strip rights away from people who do not meet their purity tests based on ideology, race, and gender.”

Diagolon started as an online conspiracy theory group espousing anti-semitism and holocaust denial and continue to be involved in ongoing convoy-style protests around the country with a particular bent to “violent anti-south Asian rhetoric,” HCCI added.

HCCI and other groups who have signed on to the protest are asking venues to “refuse to book space” to Diagolon or anyone affiliated with white supremacist groups and to reach out to other venue operators with the same message.

Horwath, who said she “strongly condemns” the presence of groups like Diagalon in the community, noted that Hamilton Police is monitoring the situation.

Dr. Barbara Perry, who is the Director for the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, said Horwath and other leaders must do more than just offer platitudes, however, and talk about the real harms these kinds of groups can do.

Perry told the CBC Diagalon wants to “accelerate what they see as a civil war” to restore a white, Christian ethno-state in Canada.

Perry also cautioned that dealing with the group can be “tricky” as what members say is carefully worded so as not to cross the line into criminal hate speech.