Anti-hate coalition denounces presence of white nationalist 'active clubs' in Hamilton, calls for action

Several organizations in Hamilton are denouncing white nationalist "active clubs," whose members were found by a recent investigative report by CBC News to be preparing for a "race war" in area gyms and parks.

The Hamilton Anti Hate Coalition, a group formerly known as No Hate in the Hammer, said it is also calling on municipal authorities and neighbours to "act immediately" in light of the investigation's findings. 

Coalition members have also issued their own statements since the investigation's initial report was published on July 18. 

Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC), and Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) have expressed their condemnation and are calling for urgent action to root out hate.

HIPC said it's "deeply alarmed" by the report from the CBC's visual investigation unit. 

"These groups are not benign social organizations. They are part of a transnational movement grounded in fascist ideology, white supremacy, misogyny, and violent extremism," HIPC said in a statement.

"HIPC unequivocally condemns the presence of these hate-fuelled organizations in our city," the statement reads. "Their activities — whether covert or public — pose a serious threat to the safety of all Hamiltonians and are especially harmful to newcomers and longstanding racialized communities who already experience heightened risk of discrimination and violence."

According to HIPC anti-racism committee chair Kim Martin, newcomers and racialized communities face disproportionate barriers and discrimination.

"The organized presence of hate groups training in our public spaces sends a chilling message," Martin said. "This cannot be normalized. We must meet it with urgency, solidarity, and zero tolerance for hate in all its forms."

A CBC visual investigation, in collaboration with The Fifth Estate, recently identified local spaces where white nationalists are getting together to train, including in Myrtle and Gage Parks. Known within white nationalist communities as "active clubs," these training sessions are also part of the groups' recruitment and propaganda. 

Although the clubs portray themselves as promoting community, fitness and Canada's European heritage, some experts told CBC News they're a growing extremist threat.

Organization launches survey to hear from residents

The report prompted HCCI — a community-based organization dedicated to making Hamilton an inclusive city — to get public input on combating hate.

HCCI has launched a survey saying it wants to hear from people about what is needed and what expertise already exists to determine "how best to support impacted communities."

"Many of you have likely seen the disturbing reports published by CBC and CBC Hamilton about so-called 'active-clubs' operating in Hamilton gyms and local public spaces," HCCI wrote in an email on July 23.

"The escalation of these activities in the current context is disturbing and we know that reading and seeing this happen so close to home is very concerning," HCCI said. "We also know that it triggers many historical memories and feelings amongst communities for whom these threats are unfortunately not new." 

HCCI has put out a three-question survey to "see if there are any specific needs we could help respond to and figure out if we can pool some resources to add to and amplify the knowledge and skills that we know already exist in our communities." 

HCCI told CBC Hamilton residents interested in filling out the survey can contact HCCI directly with their email address and name and they will send the link.

WATCH | CBC tracks 'active clubs' to Hamilton area: 

Exposing fascist fight clubs training for 'race war' in Canada

17 days ago

Duration 7:39

CBC News’ visual investigations team tracks down where two Ontario-based white nationalist groups recruit and train young men to fight. They’re called ‘active clubs’ and they’re on the rise around the world, including in Canada, where experts say they’re one of the fastest-growing extremist threats. We expose them to the owners of MMA and boxing clubs that they’ve infiltrated.

The anti-hate coalition is also encouraging residents to "report suspicious activity" such as groups training in parks under "questionable circumstances." For example, they could be wearing masks, appear heavily militarized and be using white supremacy slogans.

There are various means to report such activity, the group said, including through the Hamilton police and WeSupportHamilton.ca, a website launched in 2023 for people in the area to report incidents of hate. It is separate from police. 

Police say no criminal offences reported related to groups 

Hamilton Police Service said it is aware of the groups mentioned in the CBC report and "continue to monitor their activities," however "there have been no criminal offences reported to Hamilton police related to these clubs," it said.

Police also said "a club training in a facility is not a criminal offence. It is up to the individual business owner to act accordingly. Each business owner has the right to choose how they respond."

They advised anyone who sees members of an active club working out in a park to report it through police's non-emergency number or online.

On July 24, Hamilton police released their 2024 hate crime statistics, which show that 297 hate- or bias-related crimes and incidents were reported to police over the 12-month period, a 35 per cent increase from the previous year.

Hamilton police reported 106 hate crimes — criminal offences where hate or bias is a clear motivating factor — and 191 hate incidents, which include actions with hateful overtones but that don't meet the legal threshold for a crime.

Hate crimes were most often in the form of graffiti, but also included arson, assault, criminal harassment, theft and uttering threats, among others, police said. Black, Jewish and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities were the most frequently targeted.

'We need.. preventative approaches': HARRC 

City officials, including Mayor Andrea Horwath and Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann, have been urging residents who discover "hate" in their neighbourhoods to report it.

"Residents in Hamilton want assurance that our local police service is working proactively to monitor, track, investigate and report the individuals involved in extremist organizing in Hamilton with Canadian intelligence agencies," Nann wrote in an email to CBC Hamilton.

"I encourage all residents in the city to learn more about hate symbols so they can report them accurately." 

Nann said she is working with both HCCI and HARRC to build skills residents can use to foster community safety in Ward 3 neighbourhoods.

HARRC's executive director, Lyndon George, said "collective accountability," is needed, noting that "we can't keep treating racism and hate as individual experiences."

"To confront hate in Hamilton, we need to shift from 'they' to 'we.' This is not a problem for impacted communities to solve alone; it's a responsibility we all share."

George is concerned that racism and hate are too often reduced to "isolated incidents" or perpetuated by "bad actors" instead of being recognized as "systemic and experienced collectively by entire communities, often over generations," he said.

"We need systems of accountability that include preventive approaches to address hate, bias, and radicalization before they engage in violent extremism."