Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief says masked white nationalist group demonstrated on reserve

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Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir says a group of masked individuals who she believes are white nationalists held a demonstration on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve, with community security asking the group to leave after members documented the gathering.

Casimir said it was “a complete surprise” when the individuals arrived, describing that community members and security observed the group, recorded what they could, and then contacted police and informed leadership. She said many community members had also seen the images online, contributing to concern in the community.

A video surfaced online showing multiple people wearing black clothing and hats with white material covering their faces. Casimir said the group was believed to be affiliated with the Second Sons of Canada, though the identities and any connections were not independently confirmed in the available information.

Casimir characterized the appearance as “actually very disturbing,” saying it raised fears that the event could be connected to hate, intimidation and extremist ideology, particularly because it occurred just before National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is also known as Orange Shirt Day. She said she believed there were roughly 20 to 30 people and that they appeared to carry flags.

According to Casimir, the group was asked to leave by security, and RCMP later arrived after being contacted to “back up” security. She said she has also had discussions with the RCMP, and that the Mounties have provided the community with recent updates.

Casimir said the presence of people associated with hate, intimidation and extremist ideology on or near the community’s ancestral lands is “deeply concerning” to both the community and its leadership, emphasizing the potential impact on residents during a period set aside to reflect on residential school survivors and those who did not return home.

The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief tied the timing of the demonstration to the approaching Sept. 30 holiday. She suggested the date may have prompted the group’s appearance, noting how the timing can affect how the day is understood and experienced by community members.

British Columbia’s Premier David Eby condemned the demonstration, saying in a post on X that “White nationalists gathering on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc land to intimidate people is disgusting, dangerous and cowardly – as they hide their faces.”

Interim BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson also condemned the gathering on X, saying that “The white nationalist gathering on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc land this morning was hateful and meant to intimidate. It has no place in British Columbia.”

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation first began in 2013 as Orange Shirt Day in Williams Lake, B.C. The day is recognized to honour residential school survivors, their families, and those who never returned home, and it is observed across Canada on Sept. 30.

Kamloops RCMP was contacted for additional information, but no response was received by publication of the available report. With the investigation and any police actions still not detailed in the available information, the immediate public record rests on Casimir’s account of what community members observed and on statements from provincial political leaders condemning the demonstration.