Concerns voiced over Diagolon meetup at area community hall

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Haldimand County is looking to modify its hall rental policies after a Canadian far-right extremist group held a gathering Wednesday at a community centre in Jarvis.

“The county will be actively investigating ways to prevent this from happening again,” county spokesperson Kyra Hayes said.

After community members at an adjacent park noticed people wearing Diagolon logo T-shirts and looked up information about the far-right organization, Jarvis residents and others began posting concerns on Facebook about the meeting at the Lions Community Centre.

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Jarvis is a small community in Haldimand County about 50 kilometres south of Brantford.

“We looked up who they were while our kids were playing ball,” said one resident.

Another said they “closed up the snack bar out of an abundance of caution.”

Both the county and a member of the management board of the community centre responded publicly on Thursday.

“The county and the Jarvis Lions Community Centre regret this occurred and would not have permitted the rental if the group affiliation or intentions had been disclosed,” Haldimand County said in a news release.

Ian Cooper, who sits on the board that manages the facility, said the group was “misled” about the purpose and nature of the event by someone who booked the hall and signed the contract.

“It was booked as a ‘family and friends get-together’ and we had no reason to believe it was anything different,” Cooper wrote on Facebook.

Both the management team and the county are investigating what recourse could be available to prevent or respond to such bookings in the future.

“Haldimand County does not condone hate or racism,” Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley said.

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“We want to reassure our community that these types of events are not in keeping with our values of inclusion, equity and diversity.”

Bentley said the county wants to ensure all residents and county visitors feel safe.

“Groups such as Diagolon, who allegedly promote violence and racism, are not welcome in the Haldimand community,” she said.

Cathy Case, the county’s top administrator, pointed out people can circumvent county policies and procedures if they are “providing false information” on rental applications.

“County staff and volunteers will continue to work together to try to prevent this from occurring in Haldimand and will involve law enforcement as necessary,” Case said.

Online, some of those supporting the meeting mocked people who worried about Diagolon being in Jarvis, saying the event was a comedy show.

“Laughter, food, coffee, hugs — does the venue prohibit this?” asked someone with the profile of Melissa McKee on Facebook.

Most Canadians first saw the Diagolon movement during the 2022 convoy blockades. In the U.S., the Bureau of Counterterrorism called the group a “far-right extremist group.”

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Founded by Jeremy MacKenzie, a podcaster who promotes white nationalism, Diagolon has chapters throughout Canada. Its members have been recorded making numerous racist comments or advocating violence, especially against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The group’s name refers to a fictional country of provinces and states without COVID-19 mandates, with a diagonal line formed across North America.

The group advertised a tour called the Road Rage Summer Tour with planned stops at seven Canadian cities but has faced increasing difficulty in booking venues.

Last month, the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre and the Disability Justice Network of Ontario all urged the city to refuse to rent to Diagolon after the group said it intended to meet there.

Last week, the mayor of Langley, B.C, said his community would review how to ensure groups can’t book halls in the future after a Diagolon meeting at the local Lions hall.

Regarding the Jarvis meeting, people on Twitter/X began warning about the meeting just hours before it began.

“It happened,” responded one poster. “We aren’t going anywhere. You’re never going to stop us.”

“Another successful event,” said another person. “Sorry goblins.”

SGamble@postmedia.com

@EXPSGamble

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