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The Three Percenters’ presence in Alberta was first reported by Vice Canada in 2017 in an investigation that found the group claims to meet weekly and train with live ammunition.

“They’ve shown some radical tendencies, and they’ve got a clear trail that shows they are a dangerous group that needs to be addressed,” Hasan said.

Hasan said his group also wants to see funding allocated to the de-radicalization of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and members of other alt-right groups. He said such efforts are already underway, citing the work of the Edmonton Police Service hate crimes unit, but said more can be done.

“I think providing more resources and making sure that we come at it multi-pronged approach is important,” he said.

Hasan said that people in Edmonton have family members who were killed in the New Zealand massacre, and that the tragedy also opens wounds about Canadian attacks on Muslims, specifically the murder of six men at a Quebec City mosque in 2017. The New Zealand shooter allegedly wrote Quebec shooter Alexandre Bissonnette’s name on his rifle.

The local Muslim community has also dealt with aggression from anti-Islamic groups in recent months, including members of alt-right groups confronting people arriving for prayer, and going inside Edmonton’s Al Rashid Mosque in January.

In an impassioned speech during the event, Momin Saeed, the council’s vice-president of strategy, also called out Canadian politicians and members of the media “flirting” with groups that espouse alt-right and anti-immigration ideas.

“There is freedom of speech, but there is no place for freedom of hate,” Saeed said.

Representatives from Edmonton’s Jewish and Catholic communities also attended and spoke in solidarity with the Muslim community.

pparsons@postmedia.com

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