‘We didn’t want them:’ Hamilton rallies against Dominion Society, as group holds event in Burlington, Ont.

More than 100 people gathered outside of Hamilton city hall Saturday to denounce the fact that a self-proclaimed nationalist group that wants to deport millions of people from Canada planned to host a day-long conference in the city the same day.

The Hope Not Hate rally said it was a gathering to “stand up against racism and bigotry,” in light of the Dominion Society’s organizing.

In the end, the anti-immigration group, which had previously announced its DomCon event would take place in Hamilton on Saturday, held it down the highway in Burlington, Ont.

CBC Hamilton observed several men in suits wearing Dominion Society lanyards in the parking lot of The Atrium Banquet and Conference Centre. One of them, Max Genest, identified himself as a member of the group. The parking lot was nearly full. Around 30 masked protesters were also on site, as were several members of the Halton Regional Police Service.

Protesters outside the Atrium centre said they were not part of an organized group but declined to speak on the record, citing fear of being targeted by Dominion Society supporters.

They told CBC they were protesting what they called “fascist and racist” beliefs.

The venue said it had no knowledge of the group when it accepted its reservation.

“Atrium was not aware of the Dominion Society of Canada’s background upon booking and is not aware of any client’s social political views, nor is it a contractual requirement for any … client to disclose that information,” Alexandre R. Figueiredo, who identified himself as owner and CEO of Atrium, said in an email to CBC News.

“Atrium respects the rights of all citizens, including the right to protest.”

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network first reported the venue to CBC News earlier on Saturday.

“Hamilton beat Dominion Society,” Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, told CBC Hamilton in response to the conference being held in Burlington.

Efforts from groups in Hamilton to spread awareness about the Dominion Society and have bookings cancelled were ultimately successful, Balgord said.

“The day’s not over yet but I’m relieved that this time, they did not successfully host their racist and anti-immigrant event in Hamilton,” Lyndon George, executive director of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC), told CBC Saturday. “Full credit goes to a coordinated effort to keep hate out of Hamilton.”

Dominion Society did not confirm the location to CBC directly. “Despite the best efforts of angry anti-Canadians activists and their sympathizers in the Hamilton police, they were not able to cancel DOMCON26,” group founder Daniel Tyrie wrote in an email Saturday.

When CBC shared its observations with the City of Burlington, the city said in an email it was previously not aware of the conference taking place there but that the “event is not taking place at a city-owned or city-operated facility.

“Burlington is proud to be a diverse and inclusive community. We reject hatred, discrimination and intolerance in all forms. Hate has no place in Burlington, and we remain committed to creating a city where everyone feels welcome, valued, respected and safe,” the email statement said.

In the lead up to Saturday, groups like HARRC, followed by Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwarth, some Niagara municipalities and Hamilton police said venues should be aware of who is making a booking before accepting it.

On Saturday, people gathered at Hamilton city hall said the group was not welcome.

“It’s very important to us to make sure that we stand up, that we speak out, that we contact politicians, and we don’t just sit in discomfort when we hear about a rise in white supremacy,” said Karen Goodfellow, who came to Hamilton from Toronto to show support.

“As working class people we decided we needed to get together in this city and say we’re all in this together,” Hamilton labour organizer Ritch Whyman told CBC Hamilton. “We didn’t want them… to bring their racist politics into our city.”

Hamilton is a “welcoming” place, added Vivyan Salih, who works at the Immigrants Working Centre.

The Dominion Society did not reveal the venue in the lead up to the event. Then came word from Hamilton police that two different venues in Hamilton had pulled the plug on hosting the conference, one just days before. 

Police had joined the call for venues to “consider the impact” of hosting the event in the days leading up to it. 

“The messaging associated with DomCon is divisive and exclusionary and can negatively impact the sense of safety and belonging within our community,” police said in a news release Thursday.

Dominion Society in turn accused the police of an “abuse of power.” 

What is Dominion Society of Canada and why are people of different political backgrounds worried?

Dominion Society said it was planning to have Canadian and international speakers at DomCon, such as far-right Austrian extremist Martin Sellner. But Sellner, who is permanently banned in the UK, posted on social media that the Canadian government blocked him from travelling here by not replying to his visa application in time.

Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s director of research and advocacy, commended the blocking of Sellner.

“Extremists such as Sellner have no business coming to Canada to attack our multicultural society and incite hate and intolerance,” he said.

Protesters rally at Hamilton City Hall against anti-immigration group

A livestream of the conference on Saturday showed co-founder Ken Jones giving opening remarks, followed by a speaker singing the national anthem in front of a Canadian Red Ensign flag held up by two men.

Later, attendees were heard chanting “remigration now”. following a pre-recorded video address by Sellner.

Balgord, of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, previously said Dominion Society likely has thousands of members — mostly young white men and boys.

On its website, Dominion Society describes itself as “promoting Canadian nationalism and immigration reform.” 

However, “when they’re talking just to their supporters, they’re talking about how they need to deport people from Canada who are not the right kind of white and European,” Balgord told CBC Hamilton.

Dominion Society’s website outlines a plan for “remigration,” or the mass deportation of five to nine million people, including temporary foreign workers, permanent residents and people born in Canada to non-Canadian citizens. 

It also promotes the great replacement conspiracy theory, which suggests white people are being replaced by racialized people. 

On Aug. 4, several Hamilton groups, including HARRC and Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, signed an open letter urging businesses and institutions not to rent space to Dominion Society. 

They called on elected officials to denounce the group, and asked leaders to commit that their policies and statements “will not contribute to the scapegoating of immigrants and racialized communities that is on the rise in Hamilton.”

Horwath wrote letters to local businesses, asking them to be wary of an anti-immigration group advertising a conference.

“While people are free to express their views, our community must also be clear about the values we stand for and are proud of: inclusion, respect and ensuring that everyone feels they belong in Hamilton,” she said. 

Hamilton police join call for venues to ‘consider the impact’ of hosting anti-immigration group Saturday

Hamilton Centre MP Aslam Rana issued a statement on Aug. 18 condemning the planned conference, saying it and Dominion Society “represent a racist and extremist ideology masquerading as a nationalist movement.”

He said Hamilton has already seen a significant increase in hate crimes. “Organizations and events like these only work to divide Canadians and seek to pit neighbour against neighbour,” he said.

Fear that DomCon could be move neighbouring Niagara Region also spilled over into that region this week.

Saleh Waziruddin, with the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, wrote to municipal chief administrative officers across Niagara warning that Dominion Society could be planning to move its “hate” conference there.

The Township of West Lincoln, nestled against the border with Hamilton, made it clear it wasn’t interested in having DomCon in the township and urged private facilities to not allow “hate-based” events.

“We are working hard to unite our community and build a strong sense of safety, civic pride and belonging,” the township statement said on Thursday. “We strongly condemn hate-motivated groups who would dismantle our efforts, spread hatred or breed division within our community.”

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe told CBC News he hoped no facility in his city would “lower itself” to rent to Dominion or other groups like it.

“They are free to express their views, and we are equally free to condemn them and make clear that those views are not welcome here,” he said. “That, too, is freedom of speech.”