Canadian intelligence agencies have warned that extremists could “incite and encourage” serious violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community. The Canadian Security Intelligence Agency says this threat will almost certainly continue next year.
CSIS’s comments come amid intense debate across the country over state policies regarding gender reassignment surgery and pronoun preferences.
“CSIS believes that the threat of violence from anti-gender movements is almost certain to continue next year, and that, inspired by the University of Waterloo attack, perpetrators will continue to use extreme violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community and other communities.” CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said in an email to CBC News.
A former University of Waterloo student accused of firing a knife during a gender studies class last summer, sending an associate professor and two students to the hospital, is now facing 11 terrorism charges.
Balsam said that while violent rhetoric does not necessarily lead to violence, “the ecosystem of violent rhetoric in anti-gender movements, when combined with other extreme worldviews, can lead to serious violence.” There is,” he said.
“CSIS believes that exposure to groups and individuals who espouse anti-gender extremist rhetoric can incite serious violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community or against those perceived as supporters of pro-gender ideology policies and events. “We assess that there is a possibility that it may help,” he said.
Balsam was commenting on a document drafted by the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center (ITAC) and obtained by CBC News through a Freedom of Information request.
ITAC is a group of intelligence officials established to monitor the intentions and capabilities of threat actors and examine classified and open source information to estimate the likelihood of terrorist attacks in Canada.
Last summer, the center monitored possible attacks and acts of violence at Pride celebrations, parades and nightclubs across the country, according to documents. Portions of the document have been redacted.
“Canada’s transgender and drug communities have been the target of several online threats and real-world intimidation tactics in recent months,” the document reads.
“Anti-2SLGBTQl+ discourse continues to be a common theme in the violent rhetoric espoused by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the freedom movement, and networks such as Diagoron and QAnon.”
ITAC further stated that those who espouse religiously motivated violent extremism in Canada continue to “view members of the 2SLGBTQl community as desirable targets.”
Pride group slams document as ‘disappointing’
Alessandro Iacelli, executive director of Fierte Canada Pride, said the warning is “disheartening” but not surprising. The group acts as the national association of Canadian Pride organizations.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t open my computer screen or television to see something that attacks our community,” he said.
He said he was concerned that targeted attacks like the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 people and injured 53 others could happen in Canada. Stated.
“If anyone thinks that can’t happen in Canada, they better wake up,” he said.
Aichelli said she is concerned that recent state policies regarding gender-affirming care and preferred pronouns will only put 2SLGBTQI+ people at greater risk.
“If something happens to those guys, it’s their fault,” Iacelli said.
Emotional debate in Alberta
CSIS did not comment specifically on the impact from recent state policies or proposals over the past year.
The issue recently surfaced in Alberta, where Premier Daniel Smith announced plans to implement a series of policies impacting transgender and non-binary youth and adults.
These policies include a ban on hormone therapy, such as the use of puberty blockers, for children under the age of 15 and a requirement that students under the age of 15 obtain parental consent before changing their name or pronouns at school. ing.
The Alberta government’s proposal would also ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports leagues. Mr Smith said the government would work with leagues to create coeducational or gender-neutral sports departments.
Alberta Premier Daniel Smith will defend his government’s proposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for young people, while expressing support for adults who want to transition to a different gender. She said legislation to enact this change would be introduced in the fall.
The Alberta government’s proposal has sparked heated debate.
Ms Smith said she wanted to “depoliticize” the issue and focus on the well-being of children. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Smith’s proposal could worsen mental health issues and suicidal thoughts among young people who suffer from gender dysphoria.
Advocates for transgender youth have threatened to sue, and a representative from the Alberta-based group Parents for Educational Choice said the announcement was “reasonable.” , the organization said it hopes to see Smith move forward.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre echoed this sentiment, accusing Trudeau and the media of demonizing the Smiths.
CSIS Director David Vigneault expressed concern about violence directed at the 2SLGBTQI+ community in a speech on the street late last year. He said authorities were wary of the hateful rhetoric.
“We are concerned about the sharp increase in hate crimes across Canada, the marked increase in threats from terrorists and violent extremists, and the rhetoric from extremist actors, and many consuming harmful media online can become radicalized and quickly mobilized to violence,” Vigneault told an audience at the Winnipeg Human Rights Museum.
“We are concerned that hateful marches will clash with Pride celebrations.”
