Rally at Queenston Heights Monument draws alarm from anti‑racism advocates
Toronto — A white nationalist group calling itself Second Sons Canada staged a public march at Brock’s Monument in Niagara-on-the-Lake over the Canadian Labour Day weekend, marking what experts say is a symbolic and deliberate test of the country’s political climate. Videos posted to social media show masked men dressed in coordinated white shirts emblazoned with maple leaf motifs, marching in step and chanting nationalist slogans before gathering at the historic memorial in Queenston Heights Park.
The event, one of the group’s first large-scale public rallies, drew sharp concern from scholars and anti-racism activists, who warn that the performance signals both visibility and growing confidence among white supremacist networks across Canada.
Military-Style Rally Without Permit
Organizers of the event appeared to model their actions on Patriot Front, one of the most prominent white nationalist organizations in the United States. Close to 50 men, many in hats, sunglasses, and facial coverings, lined up in front of Brock’s Monument, chanting slogans including “Leafs fight back” and “All thy sons.” The demonstration occurred while the park was open to the public, with bystanders — including families, women wearing hijabs, and international visitors — watching nearby.
Niagara Parks, which oversees Queenston Heights, issued a statement confirming that Second Sons Canada had no permit and no authorization to hold the rally. “Upon review, our understanding is that the rally remained peaceful and no incidents were reported,” the agency said. “With that said, Niagara Parks and the Niagara Parks Police Service do not condone the actions of the Second Sons, nor the beliefs that the group represents.”
The Niagara Regional Police responded to a nuisance call at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday. Officers reported that the group had dispersed before they arrived and said no criminal activity was observed. While police did not officially link the call to the nationalist rally, videos appeared online later that evening confirming the group’s presence.
Second Sons’ Origins and Links to Extremism
Second Sons Canada is a recent offshoot of Diagolon, an anti-government, anti-institution group founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by far-right social media figure Jeremy MacKenzie. Known for promoting militant, separatist views, Diagolon emerged during pandemic-era demonstrations, including links to the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network previously documented the Second Sons after a smaller rally at a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia cenotaph in March. Since then, they have been tracked to gyms and meeting places in Welland, Ontario, where members were reportedly training in private before attempting to establish a public presence.
In promotional materials, Second Sons describes itself as a “Canadian men’s nationalist club” emphasizing health, fitness, activism, and camaraderie. Prospective members must complete a background check, meet a fitness standard, and pay club fees. On its website, the group claims members wear masks to shield their identities from harassment in what it describes as a polarized and divided society.
Symbolism of Brock’s Monument
The site chosen for the Niagara rally carries historical resonance. Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, a central figure in the War of 1812, is memorialized at the monument after falling in battle at Queenston Heights.
The structure occupies a commanding position overlooking
the Niagara River and Canada’s border with the United States.
Kawser Ahmed, professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg who studies radicalism and violent extremism, said the rally’s location was not coincidental. “This is something very common in white supremacist groups throughout the Western world — Europe, the U.S., Australia, and here,” he explained. “They choose monuments tied to imperialism, nationalism, or military victory as symbols of cultural dominance.”
Ahmed said that by rallying at Brock’s Monument, Second Sons signals allegiance to an imagined Anglo-Saxon lineage, reinforcing exclusionary narratives of who belongs in Canada. “They think these countries were founded by Anglo-Saxons and that there’s no place for immigrants here,” he added.
Growing Visibility and Strategic Risk
The Labour Day march represented a shift from the group’s previously private organizing methods to overt public action. Activists monitoring extremist movements contend that the demonstration amounts to “testing the waters.”
Saleh Waziruddin, chair of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, said the group’s actions show emboldenment. “We knew they were there, showing up in ones and twos,” he said. “But this is a larger, open rally in public. They’re being open with their hate.”
Waziruddin cautioned that mainstream debates about housing and immigration may inadvertently fuel far-right talking points. He cited the Prime Minister Mark Carney government’s recent tightening of student visa and temporary worker caps, arguing such measures falsely elevate migrants as scapegoats for economic pressures. “That could get more people recruited to groups like Second Sons,” he warned.
Ahmed agreed, noting that some extremist movements evolve by probing legal tolerance. In Canada, where hate speech and online harms laws are stricter than in the United States, militants face greater formal constraints. Yet, he noted, the pandemic’s convoy protests demonstrated that even unlawful activity may become incubators for larger networks of extremists. “They’re aware of the risks,” Ahmed said. “They want to see what law enforcement agencies will do.”
Echoes of U.S. Extremist Movements
Observers noted striking parallels to the American far-right.
The facemasks, march formation, and use of nationalistic slogans echo the Patriot Front, which emerged from the ashes of the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Both groups deploy imagery of patriotism and physical training as recruiting tools to frame themselves as disciplined defenders of “true nationalism.”
Although the Second Sons deny violent intentions and claim to prioritize fitness and fellowship, experts emphasize the broader risks of normalizing intimidation in public spaces.
“These are public spectacles designed to recruit and normalize white nationalism,” Ahmed said. “Even if they remain peaceful in one instance, the trajectory historically points to escalation.”
Public Reaction and Future Risks
Online response to the rally has been mixed, with some far-right accounts celebrating the event and the group itself boasting of an “avalanche of applications” following the Niagara march. For critics, the concern is that tolerance of such gatherings could accelerate growth from dozens to hundreds of organized members.
Niagara Parks has promised to review its permitting and monitoring policies, though it emphasized that the Brock’s Monument event passed without reported incident. For community groups, however, the lack of confrontation is not reassurance but a warning.
“This is how it starts,” Waziruddin said. “They test the space, then become more aggressive. We need to recognize that trajectory if we’re going to stop them before they escalate.”
Canada: Masked White Nationalist Group Marches in Niagara (Sept. 9, 2025)
This Labour Day weekend, the Canadian white nationalist group Second Sons Canada staged a dramatic rally at Brock’s Monument in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Masked and uniformed, dozens of men marched in formation before onlookers at Queenston Heights Park, invoking symbols of nationalism and exclusion. Experts say the event represents both a symbolic gesture and a test of Canada’s legal and social boundaries, while activists warn the rally signals a dangerous escalation of public white supremacist activity.
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#CanadaPolitics #QueenstonHeights #Extremism #SocialCrisis #FreedomConvoy
Tags: Second Sons Canada, Niagara, Queenston Heights Park, Brock’s Monument, War of 1812,
Jeremy MacKenzie, Diagolon, Anti-Racism, Niagara Parks, Canadian Anti-Hate Network
