M-T
The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, August 31, 1989^Page 3
World-National
o wners cancel agreement
rally is
.By -■ DAVID LAZARUS!
MONTREAL -
A neo-Nazi rally planned for the Labour Day weekend in Sherbrooke has been aborted.
The League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada announced over the weekend that the owners of an Eastern Townships farm had cancelled theu-agreement to reiit the property to the "skinhead" white supremacists organizing the rally.
At the time a teehaged member of the family offered the site^ neither she nor her parents were aware of the group's ideology, the B'nai Brith statement said
The family told B'nai Brith they would definitely not permit their land to be us«i by neo-Nazis or other hate groups.
News of the event came at a press bonference last week by the Quebec-based Ligue des droits et liberies, and Jewish organizations were quick to respond.
Both La Ligue des droits and B'nai Brith said they would organize picketers to go to Sher-bri»oke to protest the "white power" meet.
Stephen Scheinberg, chairman of the League's Quebec Region, urged Premier Robert Bourassa to "make it clear to these racist elements that there is no place in Quebec for. them and that the Surete du Quebec will be vigilant in carrying out its duties during the event."
Canadian Jewish Cori-gress Quebec Region chair-rrlan Goldie Hersho called on government leaders to condemh "this overt and obscene manifestation of hatred, "and said that the CJC would join with other groups to combat racist demonstrations and attitudes.
In July; in Minden, Qnt., a similar "Canada Day" rally did go ahead. It was organized by John Beattie, the former head of the Canadian Nationalist Party, a thinly.Kiisguised name for the Canadian Nazi Party. ■
The rally took place on Beattie's farm, and was closed to the public.
B'nai Brith headquarters in Toronto sent two busloads of protesters to
White supremists have held a number of private rallies in rural areas of Canada and the U.S. Two young people protest a rally held earlier this year in Napa, Calif. .
Mindien on the second day of the rally.
They marched down the main street of the small Ontario town arm in arm with Mmden residents, who were over-whebningly opposed to the rally.
The planned weekend in Sherbrooke was described by La Ligue des droits as a "neo-Nazi festival;" similar to Minden. ;
Only whitie people were to be admitted, and thepro-grani was to feature a Ku Klux Klan-like cross-burning ceremony and speeches by white-supremacist spokesmen.
Skinhead musical bands, including Battalion from, Montreal and others from the U.S., were also on the program, and drug use was barred.
A printed flyer heralding the event proclaimed: White Power: From Sacrifice Comes Victory. ., for the white race...no turning back.
The flyer also said a "well-known" American organization — thought to be the KKK or the Aryan Nation — would be taking part.
News of the Quebec event surprised some observers, familiar with extreme right-wing fringe groups in Canada. Ontario and the West have been the traditional sites for neo-Nazis to rally.
The Labour Day event was thought to be the first anti-Semitic rally in the province in almost. 60 years, when Adrien Ar-cand formed the anti-Semitic political movement
called rOrdre Patriotique des Gogluo. Arcand rose to the position of labor. minister in the government of Maurice Duplessis.
La Ligue des droits, in a report on skinheads and extreme right-wing movements released at the press conference, //said ' it was hard to get an exact fix on the number of skinheads im Montreal or on how maiiy of them identify with racist ideology.
But the Ligue estimates that the United Skinheads of Montreal, whicln de-cribes itself as a "White Pride, National Socialist organization," has. between 30 and 50 members,
The group was said to include both anglophones and francophones, arid to have about another 50 general supporte-s. .
The report also said that a "Canadian network of extreme right-wing skinheads." ■ including groups like the USOM was "in the process" of beiiig 'organized. It uses the U.S.-baseci Aryan Youth Movement as a model and constitutes a Canadian "subsidiary" of it.
La Ligue's director,
Andre Paradis, said its group planned to protest the neo-Nazi meet to raise publkr awareness. He said he was most "disquieted" by the fact that skinhead groups appear to be coalescing.
Paradis said the racist groups are a"poison" to Quebec and constitute a real threat, since they promote hatred and violence against mimorities. He said
all legal avenues to stamp them out should be explored.
Ligue president Gerald Mckenzie said even if such groups are ''marginal," -they pose a threat to human rights and liberty.
He described racist and neo-Nazi skinhead groups as a "dangerous trend." in a statement released to the press. ■ ■      r ■
On Sept. 1. 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, the event which led to the ultimate tragedy of the Holocaust.
The outbreak of the Second World War brought a worldwide conflict between the forces of com-paritive good and those of absolute evil. Unprecedented massacres and atrocities were committed against innocent civilians.
However, it was the ancient Jewish community of Europe which Nazi Germany sought to destroy.
The detailed genocidal plans of the Nazis were combined with scientific measures of human destruction, resulting in the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. This genocidal act stands out as the sole example of the planned physical destruction of an entire people.
On the 50th anniversary of the Second World War, we remember all those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. We remember the millions of men and women who made the supreme sacrifice to bringing about the Allied victory over the forces of darkness.
It is fitting that Canada, which made such a vital contribtion on land, sea and air. remember the sacrifices that were made for the salvation of democracy. On this sad anniversary we must rededicate ourselves to the enhancement of liberty, together with the advancement of a humane and multicultural society which embraces all Canadians. ■
We must be resolute against the forces of bigotry. theeyiLwe fought against in the Second World War. Sept. 1. 1989 is the time for reflection and for determination to enhance our Canadian democratic heritage.
Les Scheininger President
Canadian Jewish Congress
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