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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,425 posts)
Fri Jul 28, 2017, 12:33 PM Jul 2017

The Warning Signs of Fascism on Campus

The Warning Signs of Fascism on Campus

Toronto has a long history of white nationalists using "free speech" as a cover for extremism.
BY O. BERKMAN



Paul Fromm, Canada’s most prominent white supremacist, speaks at a rally at Queen’s Park on July 15 in support of the “Halifax Five,” who disrupted an Indigenous ceremony on Canada Day. Fromm supported the Heritage Front—a violent neo-Nazi group—in the late 80s and early 90s. Photo via YouTube.

Over the past several years, Toronto has seen a rise in far right organizing—most notably the Soldiers of Odin, PEGIDA, and the Proud Boys. Likewise, university and college campuses have also been experiencing a rise in right-wing politics.

Students in Support of Free Speech (founded at the University of Toronto) has been in the media due to their committed support of Jordan Peterson, professor, high-rolling Patreon fundraiser, and opponent of protections for trans people. This support, and their regular work with the Proud Boys, Rebel Media, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, et al., has cast this burgeoning student group as the training ground for the future far right in the eyes of many.

However, SSFS in the past week has been consumed with responding to a controversy surrounding notable neo-Nazi, Paul Fromm.
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O. Berkman, a pseudonym, is a Toronto-based researcher on the turbulent history of the 1960s in Southern Ontario and how this connects to broader historical trends.
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