Associate of Soldiers of Odin in Saskatchewan Found Guilty of Uttering Threats Directed at Prime Minister

To be fair, the Saskatchewan Chapter of the SoO is now seemingly defunct, but that is neither here nor there.

Near the beginning of August we reported that Christopher Hayes of Grayson, Saskatchewan had been arrested for uttering threats directed towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Christopher was at the time a member of at least one SoO Facebook group:

His brother "MJohn Hayes" was, also at the time, the Oxbow president of the SoO:

Not long after, we posted a few follow-up articles that our readers could view here:

• Soldier of Odin Member Christopher Hayes Update 1
• Soldier of Odin Member Christopher Hayes Update 2

Today, we learned that Christopher Hayes has been found guilty of uttering threats:

Leading up to Hayes' arrest, police received two complaints about posts he had made on Facebook in relation to the prime minister. The RCMP's National Security Enforcement Section investigated the complaints. 

One of the two posts was read out during sentencing in provincial court on Feb. 13.
Hayes was found guilty of uttering threats and faces nine months of probation. Part of the probation stipulates that Hayes is not to attend events where the prime minister is present. 

He is also prohibited from owning or shooting any firearm or crossbow for the next five years, is not allowed to own ammunition or explosives, and is subject to a $500 fine.

Now, while we are pleased that this individual has faced the consequences for his criminal actions, at least to some degree, there are many others who seem to make threats with impunity.

An article came out in the "National Post" noted that other politicians in the country, particularly Rachel Notley, have been facing an almost continuous barrage of threats to kill, rape, or otherwise harm them:

Soldiers of Odin: Infighting, Drug Arrests, Accusations of Corruption

UPDATE: The Alberta chapter of the SoO appears to have defected as well according to an article in the "Edmonton Examiner" dated February 8, 2017.

When we posted our article our article regarding the defection of the entire Saskatchewan Chapter of the Soldiers of Odin from the national and international movement, there was one part of the exchange between the former co-president of the Saskatchewan SoO and another individual who apparently also has some position of leadership within the SoO:

We'll deal with the second portion of the party we highlighted first.

This past October, the former co-president of the Saskatchewan Soldiers of Odin was arrested on drugs and weapons charges:

Resident of Estevan Charged with Multiple Offenses Following Search Warrant

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has made another significant drug bust in an ongoing effort to keep the city safe. 

On the morning of October 20th, the Estevan Police Service Drug and Intelligence unit performed a search warrant, which lead towards the arrest of a 35 year-old resident of the city of Estevan....."As a result of the search six firearms, a pair of brass knuckles, eight containers of tannerite explosives, approximately 200 rounds of ammunition, 220 grams of marijuana with a street value of $2,200, and six grams of essentially mushrooms, as well as a quantity of cash were seized." added Police Chief Ladouceur.....The Estevan resident was recognized as David Tierney, who is facing one charge of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; possession of psilocybin; possession of the proceeds of crime; nine counts of possession of firearms and explosives contrary to a court order; two counts of unsafe storage of firearms; and one count of possession of a prohibited weapon.

A rather problematic charge considering the claims that the SoO was established to keep "the streets" safe. One would presumably be justified in asking, "protection from whom?"

But Tierney countered by noting that current BC President and National Sargent-At-Arms of the SoO has his own legal issues to deal with, including a 2011 arrest and subsequent conviction on similar drugs and weapons charges:

Conditional sentence issued for marijuana grow op 

Mark NIELSEN / Prince George Citizen
June 4, 2015 09:43 PM
....
Crown prosecution had been seeking six months in jail for William Coady Daniels, 47, but provincial court Judge Randall Callan agreed with defence lawyer Fred Fatt that a conditional sentence was more appropriate.
....
Daniels was arrested in November 2011 when police seized 203 marijuana plants from a barn on his farm as well 11 baggies, each containing a half pound of marijuana ready to be sold. 

A .22 calibre rifle was found by the front door of Daniels' home and a .45 calibre pistol was found in a safe, both loaded, along with $10,730 in cash. 

But the court also heard Daniels turned to growing marijuana after injuring his hand. Despite eight surgeries, he was unable to regain his fine motor skills and had lost his job as a marine engineer at B.C. Ferries as a result. 

Moreover, Daniels' worker's compensation payment were not enough to cover his mortgage so he was also in danger of losing his farm. Following his arrest, his wife left him.

Soldiers of Odin Collapsing? Entire Saskatchewan Chapter Breaks Away

We've been understandably focused on the tragedy in Quebec City -- an event that we consider to be a terrorist attack in which a white nationalist murdered six Muslim men and wounded several others -- however another interesting event occurred during the past 24 hours that will be of interest to our readers:

It seems that one of the conflicts that has emerged over time is the collecting of dues. The national leadership of the SoO decided that they would start collecting dues from members having never previously done so. These dues are to be submitted to SoO National President Joel Angott. A portion of money collected would then be sent to Mika Ranta in Finland. There's more to this story and we intend on digging into it in more detail, but suffice it to say that this newish rule (we're not certain how recently it was made) was the straw that broke Jörmungandr's back.

We see that Dave Tregget, formerly of the SoO as Quebec chapter president and national vice-president, now leader of another break away faction (along with the former Alberta and New Brunswick provincial SoO leaders) Storm Alliance congratulating the former SoO leadership for this move. On January 1 we published an interview with Mr. Tregget who voiced similar misgivings about the national leadership of the SoO.

The fallout from David Tierney's post announcing he and Travis Stovin, now former co-presidents of the Saskachewan chapter of the SoO, were taking the entire Saskatchewan chapter with them has been a fascinating car wreck and includes posturing and threats of recrimination from current members and leadership in the SoO, especially emanating out of British Columbia which is perhaps the most active chapter in Canada (though Saskatchewan was perhaps a close second):

Former SOO Moose Jaw President Jody Issel Throws Some Subtle Shade on National Leaders

That's right, former Soldiers of Odin Moose Jaw president.

More on that later.

It seems that our article on Jody Issel, who at the time of it's publication WAS the president of the Moose Jaw chapter of the Soldiers of Odin, resulted in quite of bit of interest:

It also resulted in some SoO members and leaders deciding to offer their $0.02, though some were a little confused by standard English:

Kazimir is referring to our brief article on Kevin Goudreau that preceded the Issel article. He evidently doesn't understand that this part meant that BEFORE we publish our SoO article we would FIRST publish an (implied unrelated) article on another subject:

We're currently working on collecting information for an article on the Soldiers of Odin in Saskatchewan, specifically the leadership in Moose Jaw and the connection to the neo-Nazi movement in this country and abroad, however we thought we'd share something that came across our desk and caused us to collectively giggle.

But then perhaps we shouldn't be unkind as even the best of us can miss certain nuances of language when reading online article, though we aren't sure what language this person is trying to communicate to us is:

And then there was this person who denied that Issel was even associated with the SoO:

Yeah! How dare we believe our lying eyes!

In any case, when the subject turned to Issel's involvement with the SoO, Mr. Kazimir (who was still confused by the Goudreau post) offered the following excuse which sort of flew in the face of some of his earlier claims:

Well, the truth will out, won't it?

Jody Issel, Soldiers of Odin Moose Jaw President, Isn't Even Trying Anymore

You know, if there's one positive thing about Trump's election is that the racists we've been covering here for years have become refreshingly honest about their views. Take this guy for example:

Now this is admittedly an older photo of Jody Issel, but it does sort of capture a particular moment in time, specifically the time he tried to start up an unauthorized chapter of the Aryan Nations' in Saskatchewan. That effort didn't pan out so well, so he threw in his lot with Kyle McKee and the Aryan Guard in Calgary for a while, attending at least one of their "White Pride Day" marches.

A few months after we reported Issel's efforts to start an Aryan Nations' chapter, he contacted us to first beg, then threaten us, to remove his information. We didn't and we still haven't, but at that time he seems to have recognized that being associated with the racist movement wasn't good for his career prospects.

Over the years we kept an eye on him. He was careful, locking down his Facebook from our prying eyes, but there were still a number of times he forgot himself:

Then when the Soldiers of Odin movement found it's way across the Atlantic, Issel found himself in an interesting position in that he lived in Moose Jaw, the SoO were looking for a Moose Jaw city president, and the SoO doesn't actually seem to vet their members or individuals aspiring to positions of leadership. Thus:

Recently, Issel and his merry band of SoO members (four by all accounts) decided to take a stroll about Moose Jaw (at least long enough to snap some photos) to protect the fine folks of that particular prairie community:

The problem here is who will protect the fine folks of Moose Jaw from the people who claim to want to protect them?

Bill Daniels, SOO Provincial President in BC

It's funny, because although he claimed that he wasn't hiding, at the time Issel posted these messages on his other profile, it was locked up tighter than gnat's chuff.

But things have changed on both of his profiles, although this one is the more interesting of the two right now:

So why does Issel feel more comfortable openly expressing his racism?

Take a wild guess:

Interview With Former Soldiers of Odin National Vice-President Dave Tregget

Last month we published two articles that dealt in part with the direction of the Canadian chapter of the Soldiers of Odin (see here and here). In the CBC article that we quoted in those articles, one of the foci was on the seeming split in the Quebec branch of the group which had been formerly led by Dave Tregget:

But as Tregget was busy building the group's membership he was also running afoul of the national leadership as well as the movement's international leaders in Finland. 

According to his one-time second-in-command, Tregget gave a series of interviews in the fall in which he downplayed the links between the Finnish and Quebec branches of the group. 

He also insisted on patrolling the "political correct" areas of Quebec City, like St-Roch, where the group was less likely to confront the city's immigrant population, said Katy Latulippe, who is now the acting president of Soldiers of Odin-Quebec. 

There are conflicting accounts of what, precisely, happened. Latulippe said Tregget was suspended. Tregget said he quit: "Finished with the racist image of Finland," he later told CBC News in a Facebook message. 

Regardless of the details, what is clear is that with Tregget out, and Latulippe in, the group's Quebec chapter will undergo a reorientation....."Dave avoided that, on patrols, we go into areas where there are a lot of Muslims or Islamization," she said during a recent phone conversation.

Tregget had also been the SoO national chapter's vice-president prior to his depatrure. That fact however did not insulate him, nor some of the other former SoO members who left the group, from being labeled as traitors. Among the others who left the SoO are William Crotty who had been the president of the Alberta chapter (and who is the "William" mentioned in the Vice exposé published last April) and Colin Oleary who was a leader in New Brunswick. Depending upon whom one wishes to believe, Tregget either resigned from the SoO or was suspended.

After reading the CBC article and on a bit of a whim, I decided to contact Tregget to see if Anti-Racist Canada could get his side of the story regarding the reasons for his departure from the SOO, though if I'm honest I didn't expect him to respond to my query. Much to my surprise, he did respond and further agreed to an on the record interview to offer his side of the story concerning his exit from the SoO.

What follows is a brief interview with the former Quebec chapter president and national vice-president of the Soldiers of Odin in Canada. I will add that French is Tregget's first language so please forgive any communication issues that may result:

Soldiers of Odin: Strike Three

In a recent article published here in which we briefly discussed the resignation of former national vice-president and Quebec president of the Soldiers of Odin, it was clear that there was (and likely has been for some time) a bit of an ideological struggle within the movement in Canada. One faction of the SoO wants to disassociate itself from the overt racism of the gang which was started by a well-known Finnish neo-Nazi while the other faction wishes to strengthen the connection to the Finnish movement and the core raison d'etre of the Soldiers of Odin which is anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim in nature:

But as Tregget was busy building the group's membership he was also running afoul of the national leadership as well as the movement's international leaders in Finland. 

According to his one-time second-in-command, Tregget gave a series of interviews in the fall in which he downplayed the links between the Finnish and Quebec branches of the group. 

He also insisted on patrolling the "political correct" areas of Quebec City, like St-Roch, where the group was less likely to confront the city's immigrant population, said Katy Latulippe, who is now the acting president of Soldiers of Odin-Quebec. 

There are conflicting accounts of what, precisely, happened. Latulippe said Tregget was suspended. Tregget said he quit: "Finished with the racist image of Finland," he later told CBC News in a Facebook message. 

Regardless of the details, what is clear is that with Tregget out, and Latulippe in, the group's Quebec chapter will undergo a reorientation....."Dave avoided that, on patrols, we go into areas where there are a lot of Muslims or Islamization," she said during a recent phone conversation.

We should stress that we believe that much of this soul searching is primarily one of optics and how the SoO desire to perceived by the public rather than a disagreement about the fundamental nature of the gang's motives:

SoO, which has chapters across Canada, denies, on its public Facebook page, any accusations of being racist or anti-immigrant and claims to exist to primarily protect women and children by keeping the streets safe.  

However, it’s been alleged the group’s private Facebook page is filled with racist and xenophobic comments, mainly directed towards Muslims.

However there might also be an element of self-delusion as exhibited by Regina, Saskatchewan president Ryen Ward who was interviewed by Paul Dechene for "Planet S":

“I am not accusing you of being a racist,” I explain at one point. “I am saying that this is the cultural context in which the Regina chapter of the Soldiers of Odin swims, and I’m curious as to why you would want to carry all this cultural, racist baggage if you’re really serious about being seen as welcoming and helpful?” 

But as far as Ward is concerned, his group’s negative image has nothing to do with its founder, its connections nor its imagery. It’s all the fault of the lying media. 

“The danger lies in the lies printed about us and the fear you evoke into your readers,” he writes. “For the last time, we are not racist.”

Ward contradicts himself later on though he clearly doesn't see it that way:

When our conversation moves to politics — specifically, Trump — Ward raises his concerns about immigration. 

“Our problems occur with a lack of proper vetting system in which people coming into the country should receive a face to face interview. Very similar to Kellie Leitch’s idea,” he writes. 

And when I press him on this, and on Black Lives Matter, this happens: 

“I would like them [new immigrants] to be interviewed to [ensure] that they do not have anger or hatred, as ISIS [has] stated [that] they have infiltrated the refugee camps and [they’re] sending terrorists to North America through such lame processes that we just believe everything. I would like them to be interviewed on their beliefs of Sharia Law, and other such ideologies that do not fit into our Canadian laws or way of life. 

“Black Lives Matter are not the only protestors/rioters that have caused discord in the USA. I am talking about all of the hate groups. From the KKK all the way to the Black Panthers and every group in between that calls for the death to another race.

Further indication of Ward's apparent difficulty in engaging in self-reflection can be found on social media.

Uhm, no. No it wasn't.

December 2016 Bits and Bites

We begin with a very brief update on Paulie who is so tickled pink (well, more pink than he usually is) about Trump's election that he isn't bothering to try to conceal his views in more "respectable" terms anymore:

We're sure that Paulie will be leading the charge.... so long as others foot the bill so that he can maintain the lifestyle that he has become accustomed to.

And as long as others actually take on any potential risks. That of course goes without saying.

Out in British Columbia, some members of the Soldiers of Odin tried to crash an anti-racism rally in Richmond. Suffice it to say that it didn't go especially well for them:

However, it was marred slightly by the appearance of a small group from the Soldiers of Odin, a citizen-based “street patrol” organization, closely connected to anti-immigration movements in Finland.
....
On Sunday, although claiming not to be racist, pledging support for everyone, irrespective of race and carrying signs stating “Stand And Fight Against Hate,” — the three men representing the Soldiers of Odin were told their presence wasn’t welcome and, after a few words were exchanged, moved further down No. 3 Road. 

Despite repeated attempts to contact the Soldiers of Odin’s B.C. chapter through its Facebook page, the News was not able to reach the group or its local leaders for comment.  

At the event, Soldiers of Odin representative Kris Erickson told the News’ photographer that everyone had got their message wrong and claimed that they were there to express solidarity with the protestors.
....
SOO, which has chapters across Canada, denies, on its public Facebook page, any accusations of being racist or anti-immigrant and claims to exist to primarily protect women and children by keeping the streets safe. 

However, it’s been alleged the group’s private Facebook page is filled with racist and xenophobic comments, mainly directed towards Muslims.

In other interesting news, we found the following rather enigmatic post on Quebec SoO chapter president David Tregget's Facebook page:

Soldiers of Odin Canada: Falling Apart Already?

In one of the msm articles we linked to in a previous article, the following observation was made by at least one academic interviewed for the story:

Several academic researchers contacted in Canada had either not heard of Soldiers of Odin, or studied its presence in Canada. One researcher, who did not wish to be named, was not convinced the group had a serious presence.  

“We only have very patchy information that makes me think that this group is a very small one, and might be a fad,” said the researcher.

We received some emails that were somewhat critical of this assessment. For example, the Soldiers of Odin are found in most provinces now and have chapters in a number of towns and cities, so they can't at this point be considered to be, "very small." They are probably more widespread and have more members than hate groups that have been on our radar for years. On this point we and the critics are in agreement.

However, we might also be in agreement with the unnamed academic regarding his or her suggestion that the group, "might be a fad."

To clarify, we aren't suggesting that the Soldiers of Odin are a group that should be taken lightly and that the membership will eventually tire and move on to something else (though for some, this might happen). But there is a good chance that the SoO will tear itself apart from within, resulting in a scattered membership.

Case in point, they just cant seem to maintain a stable leadership structure:

Trump Train Derailed: Canadian Supporters Respond

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware of what has become known as the "Trump Tape" in which Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about sexually assaulting women on a hot mic:

In part as a result of the tape and, perhaps, his crude dismissal of it as mere "locker room" banter, Trump has seen his support collapse. Though things could change between now and November 8, it seems very unlikely that he will be the next president, despite what his supporters believe.

In Canada, Trump is generally reviled by most Canadians despite their political leanings. But that doesn't mean that he is without support in Canada, albeit from a relative fringe component of the population. Many of those Canadian fringe Trump supporters, both individuals and groups, are well known to our readers.

We're sure that our readers will not be in the least surprised that Ron Banerjee loves him his Trump.

This may be in part owing to Trump's statements regarding Muslims and Muslim-Americans, though if it is possible Banerjee is even more extreme in his views:

Banerjee often combines his hatred of Muslims with his violent misogyny: 

It then should not surprise our readers that not only does Ron Banerjee continue to support Trump, but has threatened women with retribution should Trump lose the election as a result of their vote:

Anti-Immigration Rally Featuring Soldiers of Odin, PEGIDA, and Atalante Québec Yesterday

Yesterday an anti-immigrant rally took place in Quebec City featuring some groups we are well aware of and a few that are knew to us (yes, our Quebec intel still sucks):

Anti-immigration groups are heard in Quebec  

PUBLISHED  Saturday, October 15, 2016 13 H 38 

About 75 protesters marched in Old Quebec, Saturday lunch, to denounce the immigration policies of the governments of Quebec and Canada and what they called "radical Islam." 

"Uncontrolled immigration, assured invasion," chanted some demonstrators gathered under the banner of several groups such as Pegida Quebec, Justiciers the People, Soldiers of Odin, and different factions of the group The Pack. 

Some protesters repeated to reporters that they did not belong to "a racist movement." 

"It is not against a race, but against a religion and an ideology that has," said Christian Desrochers, the Avengers group of people. 

The event was framed by the Quebec City police, who had to intervene when antifascists were invited to the event. "We, we want to denounce their hate speech, homophobic and Islamophobic, launched a protester who would not be named. There are enough of [today]. That's still afraid. " 

Among the group of anti-fascists, Cora Lemoine, a veiled woman, had come to denounce the event. She said the protesters would benefit by learning more. 

"We we are here to say" you are afraid for nothing. " [What you have before you], this is not an Islamist. this is a working woman, raising a family and many friends, she said. So I should not be so detestable as that! "

The rally organizers plan more demonstrations "against radical Islam in Québec" in the coming months.

Now there are a few groups that we aren't familiar with (and if anyone wants to help, we are always open to assistance), but there are a few that we are quite familiar with.

Soldiers of Odin: "Denies.... Links to.... Biker Gangs"

It's been a while since we last wrote about the Soldiers of Odin. Since our last post about the group they have garnered a significant amount of media attention, though they aren't especially pleased with how the Canadian branch of the SoO has been characterized.

For example, in a Global News article from September 19, SoO National President Joel Angott made the following comment:

Soldiers of Odin Canada claims it’s independent and denies any links to neo-Nazi groups and biker gangs. On his Facebook page, Soldiers of Odin national president Joel Angott said “it is our hope that in time citizens of all races and religions come to see the peaceful nature of our activities.”

Well isn't that a lovely sentiment? Too bad the evidence generally doesn't support Mr. Angott's claim.

Angott suggests that the SoO doesn't have links to either neo-Nazi groups or biker gangs. We will test both of those claims but for now we're going to focus on the denial of links to biker gangs in this article. For example, one link is that the SoO chose to copy the bylaws of biker groups, modifying it (slightly) to fit their particular situation:

However our readers might want a little more red meat than this.

While we could simply point to an article we published on May 15 outlining the links to SOO members and the Hell's Angels which, if we aren't mistaken, would be classified as a "biker gang." However we decided that more recent information might be appropriate.

In our May 15 article, we mentioned that then Sargent-at-Arms of the Ontario Chapter (and now FORMER president of the Ontario Chapter.... more on that in a future article) Arran Taylor wrote about the importance of respecting "club gear." In this case the club in question was the Hell's Angels:

The individual who gave Taylor the heads up was a fella by the name of Dale Kelland:

A few months later when checking out the membership list of various SoO chapters across Canada, we stumbled across Mr. Kelland again in the Ontario Chapter of the Soldiers of Odin:

UPDATE: As of the publication of this article, Kelland is no
longer listed as a member of the Ontario SOO Facebook group.

A Look at the Soldiers of Odin in Hamilton

We were contacted by someone who created the following video highlighting the efforts of the Soldiers of Odin to set up a chapter in Hamilton, ON. Unfortunately we were unable embed the video, however the creator graciously allowed us to download so that we could include it here on the blog.

Man Assaulted by Finnish Neo-Nazi Group Linked to the Soldiers of Odin Dies

Our readers who have been following ARC's series on the Canadian branch of the Soldiers of Odin are aware that the group originated in Finland and was founded by Mike Ranta:

Prior to founding the Soldiers of Odin, Ranta, an avowed "White Nationalist" and neo-Nazi, was and still is a member of the Finnish Resistance Movement:

Ranta, who was convicted of a 2005 racially-motivated attack against two immigrants, admits readily to being a neo-Nazi — “Yes, I am” — but insists his ideology and membership in the Finnish Resistance Movement has nothing to do with the patrols. 

“Just because I am, as the founder or whatever, it doesn’t mean the whole group are (neo-Nazis)… We’re just a street patrol group, so why are people making it into something else?,” Ranta argued.

Since the publication of the above article, Ranta has been convicted of aggravated assault and given an 18 month suspended sentence for his attack on a man and woman.

Soldiers of Odin Canada, founded by Manitoba resident Joel Angott, was authorized by Ranta's original Finnish chapter to begin operations in Canada:

This past week, members of the Finnish Resistance Movement assaulted a man during a rally. That man later passed away as a result of his injuries:

FINNISH MAN DIES AFTER BEING ASSAULTED BY NEO-NAZISPosted on 17.9.2016 by mikael 

A Finnish man, Jimi Joonas Karttunen, that was assaulted by neo-Nazis from the Finnish Resistance Movement (FRM) Saturday the 10th of September has died of his injuries. The news was first given by his father Kauko-Vesa Karttunen in a Facebook post on Saturday and the identity of the man has since then been confirmed by other sources, including an old school friend that Kaivuri has talked to. The assault against the 28 year old Karttunen happened during a demonstration by FRM in the center of Helsinki. Karttunen was assaulted from the back by members of FRM and hit his head as he fell on the ground, after he had expressed his dissent to the protestors. 

What is clear so far is that the victim was hospitalised shortly after the attack due to severe head trauma and remained in intensive care for several days. He was released from the hospital on Thursday but began to suffer from intense headaches again on Friday and called the emergency services. When the emergency services arrived he had already lost consciousness and was proclaimed dead on Friday at 10 PM. 

FRM released a video of Karttunen lying on the ground next to a pool of blood on Sunday the 12th of September. In an accompanying text, the organization said they had to ‘discipline’ some people who challenged them, effectively confessing members of the group were behind the assault. Several pictures connected to the article show known members of the organization, giving an idea of which people were present. 

The police have, nonetheless, been reluctant comment on the events to mainstream media outlets (1,2,3,4) and refused to verify whether a causal relation between the death of Karttunen, but confirm that the case is under investigation. Meanwhile, in a post on their website, the Antifascist network Varis has connected names to the faces visible in the pictures published by FMR. Several of the whom have a record of violence against people of colour, queers and political opponents. 

Kaivuri will participate in all efforts to bring the attackers to justice and we will continue to update as the situation develops.

The FRM propaganda video of the aftermath can be seen at about 2:06: