Hindus Must Confront Rising White Supremacy in Canada
CBC’s exposé of Second Sons Canada reminds us that our diverse society and its pluralistic future requires active defense
Canada has long been celebrated as a mosaic of cultures, a place where the ancient traditions of the East and the modern values of the West coexist in harmony. However, a disturbing new investigation by the CBC has pulled back the curtain on a movement that seeks to shatter this peace. Second Sons Canada, one of the country’s largest men’s-only ‘nationalist’ groups, has been exposed as a breeding ground for violent white supremacy, masking a core of hatred behind a veneer of “fitness” and “heritage.”
Online, on public-facing social media accounts, the group has been promoting the slogan, “Remigration Now”, but as the CBC investigation has found, its actual agenda is far more insidious. Here’s how Second Sons president Jeremy Mackenzie elaborated on the group’s core policy in his June 2024 podcast: “We’ll take them up… ‘Get in the truck. You’re going to the airport.’ ‘Make me.’ ‘OK’ – bang! ‘Anybody else not want to go to the airport?… I only had to shoot one, see? Easy.’” As Steven Rai, a digital research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue explained to the CBC, “Remigration for Second Sons is a euphemism for ethnic cleansing.”
Notably, the CBC found that negative or violent statements directed at people of Indian heritage, who are mostly Hindus, were common in the group’s communications. In fact, earlier this month, on January 17, Second Sons Canada demonstrated in Orillia, Ontario, with a black sign that read, “Indian Trucks Kill Canucks”, bordered by a Cross on either side.
To make matters worse, groups like Second Sons are part of a growing network in Canada and around the world. According to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, there are 187 such groups, also known as ‘active clubs’ that have proliferated across 27 countries across the Americas and around much of Europe. At least half of these groups are youth clubs, targeting teens between the ages of 15 and 18 years.
For the Canadian Hindu community, this is a clarion call to recognize a growing threat that targets us. When a group talks about ethnic cleansing or removing another group at gunpoint, it’s a direct threat to our homes, our families, and our peace.
Extremist groups today rarely start with open calls for violence. They use a bait-and-switch tactic designed to mainstream the hate. For example, when they recruit, they don’t lead with hate. They prey on young people looking for a sense of purpose. They present themselves as a fitness club or a brotherhood for “lost”, disenfranchised young men, and offer a sense of community and belonging.
The danger is what happens after the recruits become part of the club and the door is closed behind them. The leaked audio from Second Sons leaders reveals a violent world of Nazi praise, Holocaust denial, and a literal roadmap for a race war. This includes actively urging members to arm themselves while planning for the forced deportation of anyone that the group does not consider to be white enough.
We need to be clear about why this specific brand of white nationalism is a problem for Hindus in Canada. These groups view our presence as ‘an invasion’. To them, a new mandir isn’t a sign of a vibrant community, it’s a …. They use patriotism as an excuse to harass people for their faith and symbols. History shows that when radical rhetoric peaks, houses of worship are often the first to see vandalism or threats. Our mandirs are centers of gravity for our lives, and no one should feel unsafe while performing poojas or offering prayers.
Hindus in Canada are a diverse group of doctors, teachers, business owners and others, all of whom have helped build this group. Extremist groups want to rewrite that history, casting us as outsiders who don’t belong. The philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) is the strongest possible answer to this tribalism.
But staying silent is also not an option. We need to push for better security for our community centers, as well as demand that tech companies prohibit these groups from using their platforms. Most importantly, we must call out this particular brand of ‘nationalism’ for what it actually is: a violent ideology that has no place especially in a country built by immigrants.
Canada’s strength is its people. We have a right to be here, and we have a responsibility to protect the pluralistic future we’ve all worked so hard to build.
- authored by Rishabh Sarswat