Latest news with #BlueHackleMafia
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa soldiers under investigation for Facebook group filled with hate speech and nude photos in uniform
Article content Wright said he could not discuss the investigation into the Blue Hackle Mafia social media page as it was still ongoing. Article content Some of those depicted in the images are officers in the unit. Article content Article content The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) serve as the city of Ottawa's official regiment, according to the Canadian Forces. The regiment is tasked, as needed, to provide ceremonial guards of honour for visiting dignitaries and for national ceremonies and events. Article content During the Second World War, the King of England first allowed the Cameron Highlanders to wear the blue hackle on their headdress as a mark of their honour and fighting pride. Article content Over the last decade, the Canadian Forces has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, harassment, racism and homophobia. The resulting scandals prompted reports and inquiries by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour, along with pledges by the military leadership to bring about change. In addition, a number of senior officers have faced charges or court proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct or assault. Article content Article content But defence insiders say there is a sense in some areas of the Canadian Forces that the sexual misconduct scandals are now largely in the past, as news media reporting has decreased and a number of high-profile legal cases have either collapsed or ended in senior officers being found not guilty. Article content Article content In 2022, the Ottawa Citizen reported that Arbour was told by Canadian Forces members that the military sees sexual and other misconduct cases as public relations problems that need to be managed to avoid negative media coverage rather than serious issues to be dealt with. Article content Many of the posts that Wright described as abhorrent were published by serving soldiers in the Cameron Highlanders in the midst of the military's leadership efforts between 2015 and 2021 to crack down on such behaviour. Article content The links between the regiment and the City of Ottawa are more than 100 years old. Permission was granted in January 1882 for the regiment to adopt the motto of the City of Ottawa: 'Advance.' This remains the motto of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and is worn on their badges.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army investigating members allegedly involved in 'abhorrent' Facebook group, Canada's top soldier says
The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier called "abhorrent" content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group featured "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images." In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is "disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group." Wright called the group's content "abhorrent," and warned of consequences. "I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation," Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command "as recently as December" and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. "The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case," said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. "This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. "Hackle" could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. "The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient," the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an "active" threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. "White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment," said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Secret Facebook group exposes shocking racist, antisemitic extremism inside Canadian military
Canada's top military leaders are facing renewed pressure over far-right extremism in the ranks, following explosive revelations that soldiers participated in a secret Facebook group, " Blue Hackle Mafia , "allegedly filled with racist , antisemitic , misogynistic, and homophobic content. The Canadian Army has now launched a disciplinary and criminal investigation, while the group's exposure is sparking international concern about how military institutions in democratic countries are handling internal radicalization. 'I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts,' Army Commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright wrote in a message obtained by CBC. 'This kind of behaviour is abhorrent, dangerous, and it undermines everything we stand for.' The military police, which initially transferred the matter to a unit-level investigation, reopened a full inquiry on June 27. The Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal said the new probe is ongoing. But experts say this isn't just a disciplinary matter, it's a strategic failure with national and global consequences. Live Events A NATO problem? A growing extremism problem within its armed forces not only threatens internal cohesion but may undermine joint operations, intelligence sharing, and multinational trust. 'When soldiers trained by the state are exposed to radical ideologies, it's not just a Canadian problem, it's a NATO security issue,' said defence analyst Leah West, a former Canadian Forces member and professor at Carleton University. Recent history supports that concern. Former Canadian reservist Patrik Mathews was sentenced to nine years in a US federal prison for his role in a neo-Nazi plot to trigger a race war. 'White supremacist groups actively seek military-trained individuals,' a 2021 Canadian intelligence report warned, adding that some extremists enlist specifically to gain tactical skills and weapons expertise. The 'Blue Hackle Mafia' group wasn't discovered through high-level surveillance or internal vetting. It was reported through informal complaints, suggesting that existing safeguards failed to detect and intercept the threat early. A 2022 military advisory panel called Canada's extremism response 'siloed and inefficient,' urging faster intelligence coordination and proactive monitoring. The defence department has faced years of criticism for downplaying extremism, especially in rural reserve units and remote deployments where oversight is thinner.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army says it's investigating 'abhorrent' racist, homophobic and antisemitic Facebook group
The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier called "abhorrent" content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group featured "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images." In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is "disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group." Wright called the group's content "abhorrent," and warned of consequences. "I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation," Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command "as recently as December" and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. "The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case," said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. "This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. "Hackle" could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. "The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient," the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an "active" threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. "White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment," said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.
CBC
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Army investigating 'abhorrent' racist, homophobic and antisemitic Facebook group
Social Sharing The Canadian Army is investigating members who allegedly shared what the country's top soldier called "abhorrent" content within a private Facebook group. According to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the "Blue Hackle Mafia" group featured "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images." In the message to armed forces members shared with CBC News, the army commander wrote that he is "disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group." Wright called the chat's content "abhorrent," and warned of consequences. "I have ordered that any serving Canadian Army members currently on this social media group immediately cease their participation," Wright wrote. Wright said the contents were reported up the chain of command "as recently as December" and that he was made aware of the alleged misconduct June 25. Military police investigating A message from the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also shared with CBC News, said complaints about the private Facebook group were first investigated by the military police in Ottawa and were later transferred to the unit to conduct a disciplinary investigation. Those investigations are meant to determine if there are sufficient grounds to believe a serious offence may have been committed. "The transfer to the unit for a disciplinary investigation was considered the best use of options available in the military justice system, in this case," said the statement. The provost marshal's office said the military police re-opened their investigation on June 27. "This new investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," it said. Not much else is known about the Blue Hackle Mafia group, including how many CAF members allegedly participated. "Hackle" could be a reference to the plume some infantry regiments wear. Reports urge CAF to clamp down on extremism The Canadian Armed Forces has been under pressure to better handle members drawn to hateful views and extremism. A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups on the rise. The panel also found that the Department of National Defence (DND) has struggled to sniff out extremists in its ranks. "The detection of extremist pockets or individuals is still very much siloed and inefficient," the panel wrote. In 2021, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, one of the country's independent watchdogs, issued a report warning white nationalism is an "active" threat to the Canadian Armed Forces and stressed that more resources are needed to effectively address the issue. "White supremacist groups actively seek individuals with prior military training and experience, or conversely, encourage individuals to enlist in order to gain access to specialized training, tactics and equipment," said the report. A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counterintelligence and interviewed as a potential threat. In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.
