A local white nationalist group used the Fort Langley National Historic Site as a gathering place and photo backdrop last year, according to a recent news story.
The photo allegedly shows members of a group called the Northern Order. A group of 11 people stand in front of the Big House inside the fort, holding up a Hudson害羞草研究所檚 Bay Company flag. The fort historic site was a Hudson害羞草研究所檚 Bay Company trading post and the first permanent European settlement in the Fraser Valley.
The faces of people in the photo had been blacked out.
The Globe and Mail that the photo was part of a trove of images and chat logs the paper received from anti-fascist activists in Montreal. The article details the discussions and plans, posted on a Discord chat server, of a variety of members of the so-called alt right, a loosely organized group of racists, white supremacists, and modern neo-nazis.
The Northern Order害羞草研究所檚 Facebook page identifies it as 害羞草研究所淎 group dedicated to preserving and advancing British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 founding European and Anglo stock.害羞草研究所�
A post on the page encourages people to 害羞草研究所淒efend Canada! Organize with us in bc [sic]!害羞草研究所� Here we see what Canada was before and after 害羞草研究所榗ultural enrichment害羞草研究所� by the Marxist elites.害羞草研究所�
As of Monday, the page had 131 likes and had not posted much in the past two years.
害羞草研究所淚 really don害羞草研究所檛 understand why they would choose the Hudson害羞草研究所檚 Bay Company as a symbol,害羞草研究所� said Cloverdale-Langley City MP John Aldag.
As for concern over using the fort as a gathering place, Aldag said it害羞草研究所檚 a concern that white supremacist groups are meeting anywhere in the community.
For eight years before he ran as a Liberal candidate, Aldag was the manager of the Fort Langley National Historic Site.
He noted that the fort was never a monolithic white British-descended community.
The story of the early traders includes M茅tis, Hawaiian, and French employees and traders, Aldag said. They also tried to maintain good relations with the local indigenous communities for the purpose of trade, he noted.
Parks Canada issued a statement Monday, saying the photo was not sanctioned.
害羞草研究所淒iscrimination has no place at Parks Canada places and it is unacceptable that this extremist group posed for a photo at Fort Langley National Historic Site,害羞草研究所� the statement said. 害羞草研究所淐anada害羞草研究所檚 national parks and historic sites belong to all Canadians and tell stories of who we are, including the history, cultures, and contributions of peoples from all backgrounds.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭he site害羞草研究所檚 multicultural history is recognized, celebrated, and explored through special events, interpretive programming, and exhibits, and reflected in all aspects of its management,害羞草研究所� said a Parks Canada spokesperson.
The best-known historical event at Fort Langley was the declaration of British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 status as a colony of Great Britain in 1858. The first governor of the colony was Sir James Douglas, an HBC trader born in Guyana whose father was Scottish, and whose mother was of mixed African and European descent. The Guyanese-Canadian community has taken part in celebrations at the fort in recent years in honour of this connection.
Douglas害羞草研究所檚 wife Amelia was of Scottish and Cree descent.
While the Fort Langley photo does not appear on the Northern Order Facebook page, two similar photos were posted there. Both feature small groups holding the Canadian Red Ensign, which was Canada害羞草研究所檚 national flag until it was replaced by the Maple Leaf flag in 1965.
In both photos, the faces of all the individuals in the pictures were blacked out before they were posted to the Northern Order page.
The Facebook page was originally created in September 2017 under the name 害羞草研究所淲est Coast Alt Right害羞草研究所� and was renamed 害羞草研究所淣orthern Order害羞草研究所� four days later.
The Advance Times is attempting to contact the administrator of the Northern Order Facebook page for comment.
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