Book Review: Graphic Novel "Christie Pits"

Christie Pits
Written by Jamie Michaels
Illustrated by Doug Fedrau
Dirty Water Comics

I realize book reviews are a bit of a departure for ARC, but occasionally a book comes along that captures important moments in Canada's history of racism and antisemitism earning itself a spotlight here. Christie Pits, which tells the story of the lead up to, and events of, Canada's "largest single eruption of ethnic violence in Post-Confederation Canadian history" (Michaels, 2019), on August 16th 1933, is one such book.

For those unaware, the riot began after a baseball game in Toronto's Christie Pits Park when a local "swastika club" called The Pit Gang provoked a Jewish and Italian baseball team after a game. Once reinforcements arrived, the brawl swelled to an estimated 10,000 people and spilled over into neighbouring streets. It lasted most of the night and resulted in numerous injuries, as well as property damage to Jewish shops. Fortunately, no one was killed. In the aftermath, Mayor William James Stewart forbade the display of the swastika in the city.

In some ways, I feel unqualified to talk about Christie Pits because I'm not Jewish, nor am I particularly well-read in the graphic novel genre. However, I also feel I'm exactly the sort of person writer Jamie Michaels and illustrator Doug Fedrau are trying to reach with this newly-launched work. In his introduction, writer and historian Irving Abella states that "the format of this book ... is compelling and makes an uncomfortable story more accessible." I believe this is true. And beyond accessibility, a graphic novel combines the slow pace of a book with visuals allowing the reader to sit with both and take them in, contemplate the meaning, and let the emotional connection fully develop.

It is also worth noting that the choice to use this visual medium, with a simple, relatable, Tintin inspired style, was very deliberate. Michaels explained to the CBC that Jewish writers are well-represented in both comic books and graphic novels, paving the way for both writers and readers to engage without the same history of antisemitism found in other genres. "There's a lot of these anti-Semitic tropes embedded in literature and that's the unique thing about comics is, because it's got such Jewish origins, it's kind of one of the first modern mainstream mediums to be free of those stereotypes," he said.

In the lead-up to the riot, readers get to know a group of affable young Jewish men who easily pull you into their world. They're worried about their families, they go to work and school, enjoy sports, particularly boxing and baseball, and they take risks to find love, even if that means approaching someone different from themselves. In many ways, they'd be no different than many you'd meet in Toronto today. As Michaels said in one interview, “when you read a novel you can kind of immerse into a worldview that will give you a better understanding as a human being as opposed to being a historian.”

While the riot is extensively researched and incredibly well-illustrated, it, in fact, only takes up 18 pages of the book. The weight of the story is in developing the characters, as well as adding important context about the state of antisemitism in that era, which humanizes and personalizes the unimaginable for those who were not there. Conceiving of 10,000 people brawling on the streets of Toronto is impossible otherwise. 

Experiencing the riot from a personal point of view is powerful, but what affected me the most is the illustration of the day-to-day antisemitism Jews experienced in Canada in the '30s, while Hitler's shadow loomed large. It is deeply humbling as a current-day activist to understand, even in a small way, how hate and discrimination can limit a person's life and create an undercurrent of fear that impacts every activity from school, to work, to making dinner and relaxing at home.

My favourite line is spoken not by a character in the story, but by Michaels himself in the postscript. He says "history never repeats itself, but it often rhymes." Christie Pits holds up a mirror for us to see an ugly past reflected in our present. As many nations in the West, including Canada, lean in to right-wing populism, we are increasingly putting our rights and relative safety at risk, and vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of voters' astonishingly poor choices. This book, as Michaels says, is "depressingly relevant." However, it contains many important lessons, not just on the dangers of hate, but on the value of ally-ship, the importance of community, and that there is always hope for change.

[All comic images from Dirty Water Comics. Christie Pits riot photo originally from the Globe and Mail, now Wikicommons. It is the only known photo of the riot to be preserved. Plaque from Toronto's Historical Plaques.]

Fire Guts Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris: Islamophobes Blame Muslims

The first time I visited Notre-Dame in my early 30s I didn't have the words to express the awe I felt simply standing before the 800 year cathedral. Entering the medieval gothic building simply added to my sense of smallness, but also left me with a feeling of being connected across centuries with the millions of people who had come to worship or visit. I was born a Roman Catholic and though I had fallen away from the Church by this point one couldn't help but feel some sort of connection with the divine whether one thinks of it as a sky god with a furrowed brow and white hair or the universe itself.

I have always counted myself fortunate to have been able to experience Notre-Dame and I spent much of the afternoon looking at my old photos of my time spent there. I looked at these photos with sadness now because of the horrible event that occurred today:

• Macron promises to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral after fire, seeks international help
• 'It's absolutely heartbreaking': Canadians mourn as Notre-Dame Cathedral burns

This isn't just a loss for France. It is a loss for the entire human family. 

Tragedies like this -- and thankfully there was no human life lost -- bring out the best and worst in people. The people who I who remember include the Parisians who in photos and videos are comforting each other; who state that they will rebuild a great monument to human achievement. These Parisians represent the cross section of the modern, multi-cultural, city; white, African, Arab, Asian. I want to remember the heroism of the firefighters determined to save the cathedral putting their own lives on the line in the process.

Unfortunately, we can't ignore that it also brings out the worst in some who, perversely giddy with excitement, are using the tragedy to stoke fear and hatred:

Unless there are some serious changes in the horizon, none of which I can see, this problem is only going to get worse. https://t.co/O0lcUqeukc

— Mack Lamoureux (@MackLamoureux) April 15, 2019

At this point no one is certain what caused the fire though most experts are suggesting that it was likely the result of an accident related to renovations the cathedral was undergoing. This hasn't stopped hate groups and Islamophobes from using this tragedy as an excuse to attack Muslims specifically and immigrants in general. In a sense this didn't surprise me since these people often invoke Muslims as a scapegoat, such as the forest fires in BC and Alberta:

United we roll is about pipelines..... oh, and sharing bullshit from infowars. #yellowvestscanada #cdnpoli#cdnmedia pic.twitter.com/gC5mr3v1Ha

— Yellow Vests Canada Exposed (@VestsCanada) April 15, 2019

In Canada one of the first to jump on this bandwagon was Faith Goldy:

Goldy is infamous for this kind of race baiting. She suggested that the Quebec mosque massacre was perpetrated by Muslims (it wasn't), that the van attack in Toronto last spring was the action of a jihadist (it wasn't), that laws in Alberta have been re-written so Muslims don't need to have their picture take for a firearms license (not true as it is old legislation and was focused on the Christian Hutterite community), and that Syrian children were attacking "Canadian" children in Halifax elementary schools (not true). While these stories have been debunked they continue to spread by the people and groups this blog covers who believe Goldy's lies -- and she is a liar -- and share the lies on social media as truth.

I've collected a small sample of screen shots. Truth be told I was unsure if I should republish them since I am worried about giving these people a platform. However I think it is important to highlight not only the Islamophobia, but also the antisemitism and racism found in these groups because too many people want to stick their heads in the sand to the reality of how toxic things have become:

Old Is New Again: Some Members of Far-Right Attempt To Have Ideological Opponents, Media, and Politicians Jailed

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the "apex" of far-right "patriot" journalism in Canada:

Yep, this is a clip of a drunken Rick Boswick, Derek Storie, and Corey/Kory.... Something-or-Other (I genuinely can't be bothered to look up his last name) defaming a journalist who has already been assaulted by the far-right, complaining about the violence they claim to be subjected to, and talking about bringing paintball guns loaded with glass marbles to shoot at counter-protesters.

Not a good look gentlemen. Not a good look at all.

In any case, the boys here have been rather busy. On weekends they organize Poorly attended Yellow Vest protests on an overpass outside Toronto. They also found themselves the focus of a national news story when, in their Yellow Vest attire, they heckled PM Justin Trudeau and Toronto mayor John Tory during a news conference concerning affordable housing:

As a bit of an aside, I'm not sure complaining about being called white supremacists then going ton to complain about minorities and the persecution of white people (in addition to the New World Order conspiracy theories) really help your case much:

However, the Pegida protest in Toronto on March 23 is what has Boswick and Storie all riled up, especially this tweet from John Tory:

It should be noted that the Pegida Canada rally came hot on the heels of the murder of 50 Muslim worshipers in Christchurch, New Zealand. A couple of days prior to the Pegida Canada rally in Toronto, Faith Goldy and her drones appeared at an anti-racism rally and memorial for the Christchurch victims intent on antagonizing the attendees; Bowswick and Storie came after Goldy's group left.

In fact, both the Pegida Canada rally and the harassment of the memorial were discussed when Goldy interviewed both Boswick and Storie.

Before I post this though, a brief open letter to Faith Goldy.

Hi Faith. May I call you Faith?  

You and I need to talk about life choices. 

For example, you went from someone who interviewed the now leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition and, perhaps, future Prime Minister of Canada to being kicked off most social media platforms as a white nationalist and interviewing two unemployed drifters during one of their moments of sobriety while they ranted on about New World Order conspiracy theories. 

In the dark hours of the evening, and you experience the Dark Night of the Soul when you can't sleep and find yourself staring at the ceiling, do you ever wonder where it all went wrong Faith?

Boswick and Storie present a narrative of the Pegida members being the victims of unprovoked attacks on March 23. While it certainly was a raucous event with Pegida members outnumbered by 10 to 1, the story isn't really quite as clear cut as the two make it out to be:

Still, this particular bug has really gotten up their butts.

In the they posted where they are heckling Trudeau and Tory, you probably heard Boswick, Storie, or both talking about some sort of legal challenge. They discuss it in slightly more detail at one point:

That's right. They think they can prosecute Tory for a tweet and destroy "antifa" because.... freedom I guess:

March 30, 2019 Hate Rally: Video of Racist Groups Prove They Were the Aggressors

On March 30, the second day of what Joey Deluca claimed would be a 72 hour "patriot rally" in Edmonton occurred. Much like the previous day, the hate groups which included the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam (WCAI), Canadian Combat Coalition (CCC), Northern Guard, Soldiers of Odin (SoO), and a smattering of Yellow Vesters were outnumbered by 100s of counter-protesters. Unlike the previous day, the hate groups headed to Churchill Square to reorganize and headed back to the Legislature. Most of the counter-protesters had left by that point but the 40+ members of the various hate groups were still met by more than a dozen counter-protesters who learned that they were returning. In the end the hate groups spent a short time at the Legislature before leaving once again.

Things became tense though when members of the Northern Guard, SoO, and others affiliated with these hate groups were met by anti-fascists as they walked down the road. The resulting confrontation resulted in one counter-protester being assaulted and a member of the SoO being taken into custody though more were involved in the assault.

Since then, the narrative being told by the hate groups which has been disseminated on social media is that it was the hate groups who were the victims claiming that the person who was assaulted had attacked a woman with the flag pole being carried by the SoO member who was ultimately taken into custody. 

Actual video evidence however proves that they were the aggressors, the woman in question was not assaulted by the victim of the attacks by the hate groups, and that there was a premeditated plan to attack counter-protesters:

It took some time, but we finally got our hands on a compilation of clips that illustrates the assault that took place on March 30th, 2019, in Edmonton, Alberta.

It's slightly more than half an hour long, so brace yourself or break it up as you see fit!https://t.co/3uneXNhhAj

— EdmontonAgainstFascism (@EdmontonAgainst) April 10, 2019

 

None of this is surprising since it has become standard for these hate groups to assault people with some degree of impunity then claim to be the victim. During the first rally on Saturday when the WCAI, SoO, Northern Guard, and others were outnumbered by 100s, no one was harmed despite the tired claim that "antifa" attack "patriots" when they are outnumbered. It was only when the members of the hate groups were in greater number than the counter-protesters that people were attacked.

The fact that hate groups are on the streets in numbers and carrying out premeditated attacks should be national news - and there's video proof. @alexboutilier @IreneGentle @MackLamoureux @CBCTheNational @RalphGoodale @cafreeland @kinsellawarren @JesseBrown @OmarMosleh

— Canadian Anti-Hate Network (@antihateca) April 10, 2019

Goldy Drone Teaches Scouts to Shoot Guns

ARC would like you to meet Darik Horn. Here he is getting settled in at a Canadian Anti-Hate Network event in Newmarket, Ontario this week:

Darik has a lot going for him compared to many of his colleagues. For one thing, he's book smart. Or should I say, computer smart. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has a Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo with a Minor in Information Systems, Business, Economics and Human Resources from Wilfrid Laurier University. His recent work history is a bit patchy, but he spent 4 years at Navtech, now NAVBLUE, a company that specializes in aviation operations software. He's also been with BrightBlock, and appears to be the brains behind DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke), a very well respected open-source project that securely wipes hard drives.

 

Darik tries to be a helpful guy both online and off, and he looks out for his friends, like Paul Fromm: 

 

Despite giving this advice in October 2018,  Fromm has yet to fix the problem. It's quite possible he doesn't understand it as you can't teach an old dog new tricks and all that.

Last year, Darik was quite taken with Faith Goldy, who was just banned from Facebook and Instagram. During her mayoral election campaign, he followed her around and was very concerned that she was barred from debates:

He also canvassed with her, and is pictured here with other campaign volunteers outside Queen's Park:

Needless to say, he felt she'd make a top-notch mayor who would do away with pesky bike lanes, stop making pro-lifers feel like second class citizens, and other such lovely things:

 

Since the end of Goldy's mayoral campaign, he's jumped on Team Bernier with a vengeance. He spent significant time volunteering for Robert Geurts, the PPC candidate in the recent York-Simcoe by-election. Again, he focused on being, above all else, helpful, and insanely law-abiding. He volunteered to carpool PPC supporters to a rally, and was very concerned about someone removing campaign signs. He followed them, but refused to jaywalk: 

 

Most recently, he was concerned about the MAGA hat dude at the PEGIDA rally in Toronto in late March, which he evidently attended. You can read a bit about the rally here, and PEGIDA's recent legal troubles here.

With such a helpful attitude, and concern for others, I suppose it's not a complete surprise that he would want to help children as well. His LinkedIn profile shows he's been a Colony Leader with Scouts Canada, Shining Waters Council, South Lake Simcoe, for over three-and-a-half years: 

This past Christmas, he marched in the Newmarket Santa Claus Parade with his Scout group:

Note that this Tweet was liked by Scouts Canada, Battlefields Council, which is a Scouts collective for Hamilton and other towns in Niagara Region, and the City of Newmarket.

Just last week, it appears he took a Cubs group to a woodworking workshop:

Oh yeah, and because he's so helpful, he also organized an event at the Aurora Gun Club on November 7th, 2018, for the older boys, and volunteered to do more of the same:

Wait, what was that last thing? Yeah, he was really, really, really interested in teaching boys to shoot:

 

Faith Goldy, Kevin Goudreau, and Hate Groups Including Soldiers of Odin Banned From Facebook

I've worked at the same job for close to 20 years and I really do love it. However there are drawbacks.

On the one hand, my employment allows me to pay my mortgage. To buy a new car when the old one's motor explodes in the middle of rural Manitoba. To go on trips to places like Nepal, Tunisia, and Portugal.

On the other hand, it prevents me from jumping on the blog right away to bring ARC's readers good news like this:

BREAKING: Faith Goldy has been banned from Facebook under their new policy against white nationalism. We have been calling for them to remove Goldy for several weeks, and this was the test that the new policy would be meaningful in Canada. #cdnpoli #topoli https://t.co/1tTyH8GeyO pic.twitter.com/kuXKJuqNOH

— Canadian Anti-Hate Network (@antihateca) April 8, 2019

We are still calling for the government to uphold the Canadian Human Rights Act in regards to social media companies, which are providing their services in a discriminatory manner. We are also calling for new teeth to this legislation to enact financial penalties.

— Canadian Anti-Hate Network (@antihateca) April 8, 2019

VICE: Facebook Bans Faith Goldy, Other Canadian Far-Right Groups and Figures. https://t.co/HmbBFubiaA

— Canadian Anti-Hate Network (@antihateca) April 8, 2019

White nationalists Faith Goldy and Kevin Goudreau have been banned from both Facebook and Instagram, though I'm not sure if "No Show" was on Instagram. Hate groups that have been banned include several of the Nouns of Odin and at least one group tied to the Clann.

Suffice it to say the crying and gnashing of teeth has been amusing:

Got to say though that retweeting complaints about "Zionists" doesn't help your claim of not being a white nationalist with a penchant for dabbling in anti-semitic tropes:

The news was also discussed today in Parliament:

#NDP MP @NathanCullen on Facebooks decision to pull hateful content produced by Canadians (Sons of Odin, etc) “We think that’s progress but it’s inconsistent.” Calls on govt to do what the UK is doing. Bring in tough new laws.

— David Akin 🇨🇦 (@davidakin) April 8, 2019

Just now Dem Institutions @karinagould applauds Facebook’s decision to ban Faith Goldy, then notes that @AndrewScheer is “associated” with her and calls on Scheer to recognized that deal with it.

— David Akin 🇨🇦 (@davidakin) April 8, 2019

Now, Immigration Min @HonAhmedHussen beating up on @AndrewScheer for ‘associating” himself with Faith Goldy just banned from Facebook for violating ToS on posting hateful and extremist content.

— David Akin 🇨🇦 (@davidakin) April 8, 2019

Just read into the Parliamentary  record by @BardishKW was this phrase: “white supremacist Faith Goldy” #cdnpoli #HoC

— David Akin 🇨🇦 (@davidakin) April 8, 2019

Now what should be humiliating for Goldy is that she is spoken of in the same breath of Kevin "No Show" Goudreau who also had a brief comment posted to Twitter:

Not sure I would consider Paulie to be especially wise considering the leaky sieve of intel he's been for ARC for over a decade, but hey, you do you Kevin.

In addition to these two, a few groups have been banned including the Nouns of Odin (Soldiers, Wolves, etc) and at least one group linked to Ryan Dean's Clann.

Now this is a good first step, but it is a first step. There are other hate groups that are still active that I would ask to help take down. These include:

• The Worldwide Coalition Against Islam and all their provincial chapters.
• Northern Guard and provincial chapters.
• La Meute 
• Atalante
• Yellow Vest Canada and provincial/city chapters in Canada
• Travis Parton's Canadian Nationalist Party
• Individuals including Lauren Southern and Paul Fromm

Also....

Help us tell the government to take real steps to combat far-right extremism. Sign the petition: https://t.co/PXyC6hDwec #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/Lgw5hlFO2h

— Canadian Anti-Hate Network (@antihateca) April 8, 2019

I will also leave these here without comment:

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy a beer.

Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview: Yet ANOTHER UCP Candidate Linked To Extremists?

In October 2018, the United Conservative Party held a meet and greet at a pub in Edmonton. Among those who showed up for the event was the leader of an Alberta separatist party, the misogynistic head of Onward Christian Soldier, at least one member of the Clann (founded by Ryan Dean had been kicked out of the CCC about a year before and who I believe had just recently gotten off of house arrest after his conviction for assaulting his one-time girlfriend), and members of the Edmonton chapter of the Soldiers of Odin:

 
Not especially a good look for the United Conservative Party which quickly went onto damage control:

UCP Edmonton-West Henday Constituency Association President responds to hateful group 'Soldiers of Odin' being present in a public venue in which the CA hosted an event. These hateful views have no place in our party. #ableg #abpoli #UCP pic.twitter.com/z50plztSCB

— United Conservative Party (@Alberta_UCP) October 7, 2018

Two of the candidates disavowed the SoO and claimed they had no idea who they were or what the group was about. The third candidate however refused to go along with this narrative (though to be fair the two other candidates may have been genuine) and said he knew exactly who the SoO were. For his troubles, he was booted as a candidate by the party:

The Edmonton Nouns of Odin, because of the negative press, was ordered shut down by the original chapter in Finland and leader Tyson Hunt went on to rebrand as the Canadian Infidels/Wolves of Odin/Odin's Infidels.

Really, Hunt had a really hard time sticking with a name he liked:

Eventually Hunt and his gang merged with Ryan Dean's twosome as the Clann with Hunt apparently the public leader though Dean certainly maintains control of the group:

The most infamous of their recent activities, especially in light of the murders in Christchurch, New Zealand two months later, was the decision of Hunt, Dean, and two or three other to harass members of Al Rashid Mosque in Edmonton:

A spokesperson for the mosque said members of the Wolves of Odin group  attempted to “provoke” the people inside: "You don’t come inside the mosque with a toque that says infidel on it … Our No. 1 priority was to ensure our people here feel safe." #yeg https://t.co/aK2WhOpTor

— The Star Edmonton (@thestaredmonton) January 26, 2019

Patriot Prayer biker gang knockoff "The Clann" (formerly Wolves of Odin, formerly Soldiers of Odin) were walking around Edmonton today looking for fights & harassing Muslims outside a mosque. they literally call themselves "clannsmen". be safe #YEG pic.twitter.com/SHBhpZQ8hr

— Bob Nesta Makhno mistake ☠🏴 (@GilletteMachNo1) January 26, 2019

I grew up going to Al-Rashid. My dads funeral started at Al-Rashid. A mosque by the same name was the first mosque in Canada.

It makes me angry seeing these smug smile while they intimidate the community I grew up in. #yeg pic.twitter.com/4YRCAv0W5m

— Bashir Mohamed (@BashirMohamed) January 26, 2019

Now that the background information has been provided, on to the purpose for this article.

Ryan Dean likes to create social media pages -- Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram primarily -- to disseminate particular brand of noxious propaganda and to make it appear as if there is more support for the hatred he and other members of the Clann espouse. One of his recent efforts is on Instagram:

As of last night when I grabbed the screen shot, there were 44 followers; that number hadn't changed the last time I checked earlier today. Among the 44 who decided to give Dean a follow was this fella:

And who is David Egan you ask?

This guy:

As Dean has been posting on Instagram fairly frequently since creating the site a couple of days ago, Mr. Egan may be seeing images like these come up on his feed:

Of particular interest are the posts supporting Faith Goldy and Students For White Civilization who promote some variation of the identitarian "great replacement" conspiracy that in part motivated the Christchurch murderer:

Most concerning are the posts targeting anti-racist supporters in Calgary and Edmonton. On these posts there have been comments left by both Tyson Hunt and Joey Deluca of the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam who marched in Edmonton last week. In one post Deluca writes "they need to die" in reference to an activist and in a brief exchange with Hunt claims that they have addresses of anti-fascists:

Now if I'm to be fair, there is a chance that UCP candidate for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview David Egan may have followed Dean's Instagram profile because Dean also followed him; I don't know whom followed whom first:

When I checked Mr. Egan's Facebook profile with my sock puppet, one in which I only add extremists who along with far-right groups I keep an eye on, I found that Mr. Egan and the sock had well over 100 "friends" in common including many such as Rick Boswick and Georges Massaad who have been frequently profiled here on the ARC blog:

This also raises more than a few alarms. As I would like to give Mr. Egan the benefit of the doubt it has become sort of clear that extremism within the UCP during this election appears to be a feature rather than a bug:

• Kenney’s UCP won’t say if party expelled extremists
• Meet 30 Candidates for Jason Kenney’s UCP Who Got Caught Promoting Hateful and Extremist Views
• Star UCP candidate who resigned over white supremacist comments also questioned value of Pride parades
• UCP Candidate Delivered Sermon Comparing ‘Homosexual Love’ to ‘Pedophilia’
• UCP candidate for Calgary-South East resigns, says she’s ‘tired of being bullied for her beliefs’
• UCP Candidate Promoted Far-Right Conspiracy Claiming the United Nations is Taking Control of Canada’s Borders
• Alberta UCP Nomination Candidate Admits He Offered to Help Fund an Instagram Group That Shares Nazi Memes
• UCP Candidate Said His Thoughts on Cardston, Alberta are Coloured by ‘Aryan Undertones’ in Bizarre Letter
• Todd Beasley defends anti-Muslim Facebook posts after removal from Brooks-Medicine Hat UCP nomination
• ANALYSIS Here Are All The Bozos, Bigots and Sketchy Characters Who Created Chaos for Jason Kenney’s UCP in 2018

And so on....

Aside from Mr. Egan, a list of over 30 current and former UCP candidates raise the question of what kind of vetting the party does and what kind of government they would be should they win the Alberta election on April 16.