Canada’s top intelligence agency admitted it is closely monitoring the activities of activists and groups associated with the parent’s rights movement, particularly those opposing radical gender ideology.
Recent reports from CBC shed light on a document from the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, responsible for preventing terrorist activities in Canada.
The report lumped together the “Freedom Movement” with extremist groups like neo-Nazis and QAnon.
“Anti-2SLGBTQl+ narratives remain a common theme in violent rhetoric espoused by white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the Freedom Movement, and networks such as Diagolon and QAnon,” the report reads.
Despite the focus on monitoring such rhetoric, there was no mention in the report by CSIS regarding the violence often faced by those protesting against gender ideology.
Instances of physical attacks and intimidation against parent’s rights protesters have been documented, including an incident involving teenage activist Josh Alexander in Calgary.
A video circulating on social media at the time showed Alexander being surrounded and assaulted by a group of LGBTQ activists, leading to his arrest by Calgary Police Services. According to Alexander, he was told that charges were pressed against his assailants.
Similarly, the Vancouver Police Department is investigating alleged assaults during a trans-visibility rally where Canadian parental rights activist Chris Elston, who is more commonly known as Billboard Chris, was violently confronted by a trans activist.
In response to the CBC, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam emphasized the agency’s assessment of the ongoing violent threat posed by the anti-gender movement.
Last year, a 24-year-old international student, Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, allegedly stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo.
Villalba-Aleman faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Balsam expressed concern that such incidents could inspire further violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community or those associated with what some perceive as promoting a “gender ideology agenda.”
