Authorities in Kamloops said officers engaged with a masked group after reports tied to a First Nation site and the Canadian Anti-Hate Network linked the men’s clothing to Second Sons Canada.
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Claims spread online this week alleged a masked demonstration at a First Nation in British Columbia was a “false flag” operation involving government agents.
On Sunday, a group of masked individuals dropped a banner from an overpass in Kamloops, B.C., with a message mocking reports of unmarked graves at the nearby site of the former residential school on the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network said images and a video of the demonstration show multiple members wearing clothing with logos associated with Second Sons Canada, which it described as a far-right, members-only organization for men inspired by militant white nationalist groups abroad that has held demonstrations and training sessions across Canada.
The Second Sons website says the group was established in 2024 and functions as a “fraternal organization dedicated to health and fitness, camaraderie, activism and friendly support for those who share our values.”
Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said the group restricts merchandise to vetted members, making it unlikely, in his view, that dozens of people could impersonate the group.
Balgord also pointed to public acknowledgements by prominent members after the gathering circulated online, including a recorded livestream on YouTube on Sept. 27 in which a member referred to the banner questioning reports of human burials at the residential school site.
Second Sons founder Jeremy MacKenzie responded on X after Prime Minister Mark Carney denounced the action as hateful, writing: “Thank you for confirming that an honest question is considered ‘hate’ by Ottawa.”
Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation said it was working with the RCMP and exploring additional security measures, adding in a statement that “White supremacy will not instil fear in generations of survivors and intergenerational survivors who have already carried fear for far too long.”
RCMP Kamloops detachment said its officers promptly engaged with the group after reports of their presence, adding the group later left the area and continued moving through different parts of the city.
The RCMP described the banner and masks as a “cowardly attempt to avoid accountability for actions and messages that are clearly intended to intimidate, provoke fear and division.”
David Eby, leader of the provincial NDP, posted a video message on Sept. 27 describing the gathering as “disgusting behaviour” aimed at provoking fear and intimidation, while Carney said in an X post on Sept. 28 that it was “a cowardly act” with “no place in Canada.”
The allegations arrive as Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, following reports that 63 children have been identified as having died at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School and that more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, with the last school closing in 1996. In May 2021, Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced ground-penetrating radar uncovered what were believed to be 215 unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops residential school.
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