A Canadian far-right group is celebrating a self-proclaimed victory after spending four hours in a parking garage while counter-protesters clashed with police.
La Meute emerged to march in front of Quebec’s National Assembly around 6pm on Sunday, calling it ‘pivotal’ moment for both their cause and public image.
Just hours beforehand, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back at what he called the ‘small minority, angry, frustrated group of racists’.
Canadian far-right group La Meute emerged to march in front of Quebec’s National Assembly on Sunday, calling the day pivotal to both their image and cause
Clashes erupted Sunday between police and dozens of anti-racist activists on the sidelines of the pro-immigration rally in Quebec City before La Meute began their march
La Meute, which originated online in a secret Facebook group with 43,000 members, believes Quebec is under the threat of Sharia law and radical Islam
‘[They] don’t get to define who we are as a country, don’t get to tell others who we are and don’t get to change the nature of the open, accepting values that make us who we are,’ he told reporters.
‘I am proud to be Canadian. I am proud to be a Quebecer,’ he said.
‘And I am proud to stand with millions of Canadians who reject the hateful, harmful, heinous ideologies that we’ve seen in dark corners of both the Internet and our communities from time to time.’
La Meute, which originated online in a secret Facebook group that now has more than 43,000 members, believes Quebec is under the threat of Sharia Law and radical Islam.
They are staunchly against immigration and have become increasingly vocal as the number of asylum seekers illegally crossing into Canada from the US more than tripled last month.
More than 3,100 people walked across the border illegally in July to file refugee claims and were arrested, up from 884 in June, the Canadian government said.
Around 200 La Meute demonstrators spent four hours in a parking garage after counter-protesters attempted to block the entrances and put a halt to their anti-immigration rally
Quebec City police recommended the group, whose name translates to ‘Wolf Pack’, stay inside until they could restore order
Counter-protesters assembled early at the rally, in which La Meute planned to demand stronger border controls in Canada
Ninety-six percent of them went to Quebec, where an influx of asylum seekers, primarily Haitians, is sparking a backlash from opposition politicians and anti-immigrant groups like La Meute in the primarily French-speaking province.
In the first 15 days of August, an additional 3,800 asylum seekers were arrested crossing the US border into Quebec, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
More than 1,000 people are living in tents and government facilities at a Lacolle, Quebec border crossing across from upstate New York.
‘It’s not a crisis. It’s a situation that is extraordinary. But it’s well-managed,’ Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters in Lacolle on Thursday.
Counter-protesters pushed a burning trash containers into the street as they clashed with police
Tensions boiled over in Quebec City as police were pelted by beer bottles and were smoke bombs set off in the street
Counter-protester Maxime Fiset, a former far-right group member, blamed the violence on a ‘fringe element’
He believed their actions would set back ‘the cause of tolerance a couple of years’ and said it was a ‘pubic relations victory’ for La Meute
Despite their anti-immigration views, La Meute – which translates to Wolf Pack – has completely disassociated themselves with President Donald Trump.
‘We have almost nothing to do with Trump’s ideology,’ Sylvain Maikan, La Meute’s media liaison, told CBC.
‘Trump is a racist, we’re not. Trump is a misogynist, we’re not.’
Around 200 La Meute demonstrators spent four hours in the parking garage after counter-protesters attempted to block entrances and halt their march on Sunday.
Despite their anti-immigration views, La Meute – which translates to Wolf Pack – has completely disassociated themselves with President Donald Trump
‘We have almost nothing to do with Trump’s ideology,’ Sylvain Maikan, La Meute’s media liaison, has said. ‘Trump is a racist, we’re not. Trump is a misogynist, we’re not.’
La Meute supporters chanted ‘We are Meute’ and ‘Long live La Meute’ as they passed the parliamentary building
Heavy police presence was maintained when La Meute emerged to march on the National Assembly
One La Meute supporter was called a Nazi by a masked protester as she tried to enter the garage, according to the CBC.
Quebec City police recommended that the group stay inside until they could restore order and heavy police presence was maintained when La Meute emerged to march on the National Assembly.
They chanted ‘We are Meute’ and ‘Long live La Meute’ as they passed the parliamentary building.
‘We made our point. I really believe this day will be the day La Meute gets out peacefully, just to the show the people what we really are,’ Founder Patrick Beaudry told the site.
Counter-protester Maxime Fiset, a former far-right group member, blamed the violence on a ‘fringe element’.
He believed their actions would set back ‘the cause of tolerance a couple of years’.
‘I’m mad at such a display of violence because it was useless,’ he said. ‘It’s a public relations victory for La Meute.’
Just hours beforehand, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured at the India Day parade in Montreal on Sunday) hit back at what he called the ‘small minority, angry, frustrated group of racists’