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BԪַAlt-rightBԪַ group uses Fort Langley historic site as meeting place

The group dubbed the Northern Order took a group photo at the iconic Big House
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A photo from the Northern OrderBԪַs Facebook page similar to the photo taken inside the Fort Langley National Historic Site. The faces were blacked out in the original posted image. (Facebook)

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 HudsonBԪַs Bay Company flag. The fort historic site was a HudsonBԪַs 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 OrderBԪַs Facebook page identifies it as BԪַA group dedicated to preserving and advancing British ColumbiaBԪַs founding European and Anglo stock.BԪַ

A post on the page encourages people to BԪַDefend Canada! Organize with us in bc [sic]!BԪַ Here we see what Canada was before and after BԪַcultural enrichmentBԪַ by the Marxist elites.BԪַ

As of Monday, the page had 131 likes and had not posted much in the past two years.

BԪַI really donBԪַt understand why they would choose the HudsonBԪַs Bay Company as a symbol,BԪַ said Cloverdale-Langley City MP John Aldag.

As for concern over using the fort as a gathering place, Aldag said itBԪַs 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 Métis, 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.

BԪַDiscrimination 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,BԪַ the statement said. BԪַCanadaBԪַs 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.BԪַ

BԪַThe siteBԪַs multicultural history is recognized, celebrated, and explored through special events, interpretive programming, and exhibits, and reflected in all aspects of its management,BԪַ said a Parks Canada spokesperson.

The best-known historical event at Fort Langley was the declaration of British ColumbiaBԪַs 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.

DouglasBԪַs 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 CanadaBԪַs 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 BԪַWest Coast Alt RightBԪַ and was renamed BԪַNorthern OrderBԪַ four days later.

The Advance Times is attempting to contact the administrator of the Northern Order Facebook page for comment.

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mclaxton@langleyadvance.com

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Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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