Article content continued

The study also examined the threat posed by the Freemen on the Land, who claim they can opt out of Canadian laws by destroying their government-issued identification. An Alberta judge has called the concept “pseudo-legal nonsense” and a “scam” promoted by profiteering con men.

Nonetheless, the report said published estimates put the number of Freemen in Canada at 30,000, a concern because in addition to asserting they are not bound by the law, some also claim the right to defend themselves with deadly force.

The report dismissed the current neo-Nazi and white supremacist threat to Canada, saying such groups were so marginalized they did little but organize poster campaigns and harass minorities and “do not overly propose serious acts of violence.”

But since the report was issued, racist attacks have occurred in cities such as Edmonton. Two alleged members of the neo-Nazi group Blood and Honor Canada were arrested in B.C. last December following alleged attacks on minorities. In one case, a Filipino man was set on fire.

In Ontario, a man with a swastika tattooed on his chest has drawn complaints for recruiting for the White National Front on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. His group does not appear to be active outside the Internet but has encouraged attacks.

“Attack non-whites whenever and however you can, we will pick dates to go on a blitzkrieg, get as many as we can,” read one post on his Twitter page that used the Nazi-era term for a military assault. “We have to show non-white immigrants that its dangerous to come here, and anyone who supports them cops or whatever burn their houses down.” These posts have since been taken down and Durham Region police said they were investigating.

Daryl Johnson, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security analyst and the author of Right Wing Resurgence: How a Domestic Terrorist Threat is Being Ignored, said the post-9/11 focus on Islamist terrorism has left the extreme right wing neglected by investigators.

“I mean, I was just amazed when I worked at Homeland Security how much emphasis was put on the homegrown Muslim radicalization,” he said in an interview. “I just think that threat was over-hyped. And it’s become quite apparent as the far right has kind of reemerged that we’ve had too few resources, particularly in Homeland Security, and lack of interest on Capitol Hill.”