Last week it was reported that a visiting Jordanian imam, Sheikh Muhammad bin Musa Al Nasr, conducted a sermon at the Dar Al-Arqam Mosque in Montreal in December 2016. Video of the sermon showed Musa Al Nasr calling for the death of Jews. Upon learning of the video, B'nai Brith Canada filed a complaint with the Montreal police's hate crime division.
The reaction to the video was swift. The sermon was condemned by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian organizations, municipal, provincial, and federal politicians, and most right-thinking Canadians.... the folks who post on Stormfront notwithstanding. The negative reaction to what seems to be a clear cut case of hate speech directed towards a religious minority is what we would expect in a civil society. In fact, it is what we would come to expect of a country who's political leaders, both in government and in opposition, unanimously passed a motion condemning antisemitism in 2015:
Demagogues such as Ms. Leitch as well as Canada's baby Breitbart, Ezra Levant's, "The Rebel" have been stoking the fears their base that this non-binding motion is merely the first step towards introducing shariah law into Canada. Some of these people have started protesting at mosques and have already organized two national protests, the first of which was less successful than the second (at least in the cities of Toronto and Calgary). Our reporting of the event's have brought us to the attention of the organizers who have a rather interesting take on this nearly decade-old blog:
That's right, we formed Anti-Racist Canada in November 2007 in anticipation of M-103 in 2017. We are crafty mofos, ain't we? George Soros is very forward thinking.
Which allows me to segue into the topic of the day:
WCAI, or Worldwide Coalition Against Islam, is an anti-Muslim Facebook group with over 65,000 members in Canada and internationally. The Canadian chapter alone has nearly 10,000 members at this point. Now, while only a handful of people seem to be particularly active on either page, these aren't numbers that we should discount, especially when it seems that some members of WCAI have decided to take their bigotry off social media and apply it to the real world:
Meet Joey Deluca.... or Giuseppe.... or Joey De. I mean, pick an account and stick with it dude!
Sigh.... of course he's a Trump fan.
Joey (Giuseppe) Deluca isn't just a "proud supporter" of the WCAI. He is the founder of not only the Canadian chapter, but the entire 65,000+ organization:
A slight digression, but his analogy concerning the franchising of McDonald's sort of makes me wish that he had devoted more of his attention towards this endeavor....
....rather than what would accurately be described as a hate site:
I'm not the first to note Deluca's involvement with the WCAI. Some time ago "Humber News" spotlighted the WCAI as a hate site. Deluca, who at the time referred to himself only as "Joey" stated that:
Not long after the article was published, "Humber News" reported that the WCAI Facebook page had been removed. However, Deluca recreated the site almost immediately, though now it is a secret Facebook group that one can access only if one is a member by invitation (this refers to the main WCAI group and not the WCAI Canada chapter which seems to be accessible to all).
Now this would all be unpleasant enough if Deluca and his group were confined to bitching about Muslims online, but on March 19 he and at least one other WCAI member whom we will also profile here decided to leave the comfy confines of his apartment in Calgary and attend the anti-Muslim rally that took place in the city:
As reported to us, the March 19 protest was different than the March 4 protest in that there were only a handful of counter-protesters at the second event and those anti-Muslim protesters who attended on March 19 behaved in a more, "thuggish" and confrontational manner. Listening to the third video filmed and uploaded by Deluca, one can hear him and the second WCAI member whom will be discussed here, Jesse Wielenga, itching for a fight:
The attitude is further exhibited in the glee Deluca and co. take when learning that anti-Trump protesters were assaulted:
Wait. What?
.... but why not adding some more for good measure?
WCAI is pretty big on using overtly anti-Muslim websites as sources of information. This article is interesting for three reasons. First, Ms. Geller mischaracterizes the study by claiming that anti-Muslim hate crimes as, "the lowest." Yes, antisemitic hate crimes constitute the highest number of incidents, but anti-Muslim incidents have also seen a marked increase. As CIJN notes:
Seems to us that the WCAI and Aryan Guard might have something in common in that regard.
And finally, and of just as much interest as the article itself, the reaction to the article by WCAI members:
Mr. Lenders is quite the broken record. Regarding the protest in Ottawa:
And an article regarding M-103:
That's right Chris. You do keep saying that.
The dehumanizing of Muslims is especially evident in this exchange:
Finally, in what is an especially disgusting display of bigotry, Deluca encourages his members to harass members of the Peel School District:
Nice group you have there Joey.
As we mentioned already though, Deluca wasn't the only WCAI member to attend the Calgary anti-Muslim rally on March 19:
Jesse Wielenga is also a prominent figure in the second and third video posted by Deluca from the Calgary protest. For him, the message of the event was very clear:
And like a lot of Islamophobes, Jesse sees evidence of Muslim infiltration everywhere:
Yeah, he thinks the Carhartt logo is evidence of an Islamic conspiracy and as such should not be on the flag as it is a desecration.
And goodness knows how disgusted a "patriot" like Jesse would be over desecrated the sacred symbol of our nation!
Right?
But besides the tinfoil hat conspiracy theory b.s., Jesse's views do seem pretty clear:
And like Deluca, Jesse has two other Facebook profiles, one of which features posts such as these:
These are two members of the WCAI Canada team, one the founder of the WCAI and one who accompanied him to the anti-Muslim protest in Calgary.
If anyone was unclear still concerning how to define Islamophobia, we offer this blog article for their consideration.
The reaction to the video was swift. The sermon was condemned by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian organizations, municipal, provincial, and federal politicians, and most right-thinking Canadians.... the folks who post on Stormfront notwithstanding. The negative reaction to what seems to be a clear cut case of hate speech directed towards a religious minority is what we would expect in a civil society. In fact, it is what we would come to expect of a country who's political leaders, both in government and in opposition, unanimously passed a motion condemning antisemitism in 2015:
a) there has been, in the words of the Joint Statement issued following the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on January 22, 2015, “an alarming increase in Antisemitism worldwide,” including the firebombing of synagogues and community centres, the vandalizing of Jewish memorials and cemeteries, incendiary calls for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, and anti-Jewish terror;
b) this global anti-Semitism constitutes not only a threat to Jews but an assault on our shared democratic values and our common humanity;
Therefore the House:
a) declares its categorical condemnation of anti-Semitism;
b) reaffirms the importance of the Ottawa Protocol on Combating anti-Semitism as a model for domestic and international implementation;
c) reaffirms, in the words of the Ottawa Protocol, that, “Criticism of Israel is not antisemitic, and saying so is wrong. But singling Israel out for selective condemnation and opprobrium – let alone denying its right to exist or seeking its destruction – is discriminatory and hateful, and not saying so is dishonest;”
And the House further calls upon the government to:
a) continue advancing the combating of anti-Semitism as a domestic and international priority;
b) expand engagement with civil society, community groups, educators, and other levels of government to combat anti-Semitism and to promote respect, tolerance, and mutual understanding.There was nothing at all controversial about this motion. And yet, a similar motion regarding Islamophobia that passed last week, well....
That, in the opinion of the House, the government should:
(a) recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear;
(b) condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and take note of House of Commons’ petition e-411 and the issues raised by it; and
(c) request that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage undertake a study on how the government could
(i) develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia, in Canada, while ensuring a community-centered focus with a holistic response through evidence-based policy-making,
(ii) collect data to contextualize hate crime reports and to conduct needs assessments for impacted communities, and that the Committee should present its findings and recommendations to the House no later than 240 calendar days from the adoption of this motion, provided that in its report, the Committee should make recommendations that the government may use to better reflect the enshrined rights and freedoms in the Constitution Acts, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms..... lot's of people have lost their shit:
Demagogues such as Ms. Leitch as well as Canada's baby Breitbart, Ezra Levant's, "The Rebel" have been stoking the fears their base that this non-binding motion is merely the first step towards introducing shariah law into Canada. Some of these people have started protesting at mosques and have already organized two national protests, the first of which was less successful than the second (at least in the cities of Toronto and Calgary). Our reporting of the event's have brought us to the attention of the organizers who have a rather interesting take on this nearly decade-old blog:
That's right, we formed Anti-Racist Canada in November 2007 in anticipation of M-103 in 2017. We are crafty mofos, ain't we? George Soros is very forward thinking.
Which allows me to segue into the topic of the day:
WCAI, or Worldwide Coalition Against Islam, is an anti-Muslim Facebook group with over 65,000 members in Canada and internationally. The Canadian chapter alone has nearly 10,000 members at this point. Now, while only a handful of people seem to be particularly active on either page, these aren't numbers that we should discount, especially when it seems that some members of WCAI have decided to take their bigotry off social media and apply it to the real world:
Meet Joey Deluca.... or Giuseppe.... or Joey De. I mean, pick an account and stick with it dude!
Sigh.... of course he's a Trump fan.
 |
| Deluca isn't smart enough to be dishonest about the nature of the Trump Muslim ban. |
 |
| Deluca and some of the WCAI moderators |
A slight digression, but his analogy concerning the franchising of McDonald's sort of makes me wish that he had devoted more of his attention towards this endeavor....
....rather than what would accurately be described as a hate site:
I'm not the first to note Deluca's involvement with the WCAI. Some time ago "Humber News" spotlighted the WCAI as a hate site. Deluca, who at the time referred to himself only as "Joey" stated that:
I started WCAI because I was appalled by what ISIS was doing, and after doing much research and seeing what is happening in Europe, Australia and what happened to countries that used to be ‘normal’ that are now Islamic dictatorship countries like Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan and so on, I realized that the problem isn’t just ISIS it’s Islam.... About the refugee crisis I think it’s just a form of ‘TAQIYA‘ which is the Islamic form of deception for the purpose of spreading Islam.The article included a screen shot of what purports to be a mosque in Germany that had been set ablaze by people opposed to housing Syrian refugees. Deluca, or someone posting as the moderator, suggested that this is something that should occur in Canada:
Not long after the article was published, "Humber News" reported that the WCAI Facebook page had been removed. However, Deluca recreated the site almost immediately, though now it is a secret Facebook group that one can access only if one is a member by invitation (this refers to the main WCAI group and not the WCAI Canada chapter which seems to be accessible to all).
Now this would all be unpleasant enough if Deluca and his group were confined to bitching about Muslims online, but on March 19 he and at least one other WCAI member whom we will also profile here decided to leave the comfy confines of his apartment in Calgary and attend the anti-Muslim rally that took place in the city:
As reported to us, the March 19 protest was different than the March 4 protest in that there were only a handful of counter-protesters at the second event and those anti-Muslim protesters who attended on March 19 behaved in a more, "thuggish" and confrontational manner. Listening to the third video filmed and uploaded by Deluca, one can hear him and the second WCAI member whom will be discussed here, Jesse Wielenga, itching for a fight:
The attitude is further exhibited in the glee Deluca and co. take when learning that anti-Trump protesters were assaulted:
Wait. What?
You don't see us pestering them at their rallies do you?Why yes. Yes you do:
WATCH: Soldiers of Odin clash with demonstrators, police at Vancouver anti-racism rally
Rally organizer Imtiaz Popat says about a hundred people showed up at Victory Square in advance of International Day Against Racism, when members of the allegedly anti-immigrant group Soldiers of Odin showed up and began pushing.
“They actually attacked us, intimidating the crowd, picking up chairs and trying to hit people. The police were mostly watching and finally arrested those who were inciting violence but let those people who weren’t inciting physical violence there to try and intimidate the crowd.”
....
Cell phone video from the scene shows a group of men in black hoodies walking through the crowd, met with loud chanting by the attendees.
About a minute into the video, a scuffle breaks out between two men, which quickly escalates at which point which VPD officers step in and forcibly pull them apart.We've actually highlighted some of the WCAI Canada posts in the not so recent past which, along with some more recent posts, we think alone make the point that it can easily be considered a hate site....
Several of the men wearing hoodies are then led away and handcuffed by officers.
.... but why not adding some more for good measure?
WCAI is pretty big on using overtly anti-Muslim websites as sources of information. This article is interesting for three reasons. First, Ms. Geller mischaracterizes the study by claiming that anti-Muslim hate crimes as, "the lowest." Yes, antisemitic hate crimes constitute the highest number of incidents, but anti-Muslim incidents have also seen a marked increase. As CIJN notes:
Incidents of hate-motivated crimes in Toronto increased by eight per cent in 2016 over the previous year, with Jews earning the dubious distinction of being the single-most targeted group for the 12th year in a row.
....
While Jews were the single most victimized group overall as well as the single most victimized religious group, the numbers can be considered out of proportion to the number of Jews living in Toronto. Citing the 2011 census published by Statistics Canada, the report notes that Jews make up only 3.8 per cent of Toronto’s population of 2.8 million, yet were “victimized in approximately 30 per cent of the total hate/bias crimes in 2016.”
The report, prepared by Toronto Police Services’ Intelligence Services, Hate Crimes Unit, notes that after Jews, “the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community was the next most targeted victim group, reporting 24 occurrences, followed by the black and the Muslim communities, reporting 22 occurrences each.”
“The three most reported criminal offences motivated by hate/bias in 2016 were mischief to property, assault and criminal harassment. The Jewish community was the most victimized group for mischief to property occurrences; the LGBTQ community was the most victimized group for assault occurrences; and the Muslim community was the most victimized group for criminal harassment occurrences,” the report states.Second, the main photo in the article was not of an incident that occurred recently in Toronto, but in Calgary in 2009 as was covered extensively by this blog. The person who was ultimately arrested, tried, and convicted was a member of the Aryan Guard, a hate group that once had a party in which the desecration of a copy of the Quran took place.
Seems to us that the WCAI and Aryan Guard might have something in common in that regard.
And finally, and of just as much interest as the article itself, the reaction to the article by WCAI members:
Mr. Lenders is quite the broken record. Regarding the protest in Ottawa:
And an article regarding M-103:
That's right Chris. You do keep saying that.
The dehumanizing of Muslims is especially evident in this exchange:
Finally, in what is an especially disgusting display of bigotry, Deluca encourages his members to harass members of the Peel School District:
Nice group you have there Joey.
As we mentioned already though, Deluca wasn't the only WCAI member to attend the Calgary anti-Muslim rally on March 19:
Jesse Wielenga is also a prominent figure in the second and third video posted by Deluca from the Calgary protest. For him, the message of the event was very clear:
And like a lot of Islamophobes, Jesse sees evidence of Muslim infiltration everywhere:
Yeah, he thinks the Carhartt logo is evidence of an Islamic conspiracy and as such should not be on the flag as it is a desecration.
And goodness knows how disgusted a "patriot" like Jesse would be over desecrated the sacred symbol of our nation!
Right?
 |
| "Ain't" and "You're." Just say'n.... |
And like Deluca, Jesse has two other Facebook profiles, one of which features posts such as these:
These are two members of the WCAI Canada team, one the founder of the WCAI and one who accompanied him to the anti-Muslim protest in Calgary.
If anyone was unclear still concerning how to define Islamophobia, we offer this blog article for their consideration.
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