This past week, Justin Trudeau has been crossing the country warning about Pierre Poilievre's ties to something called "Diagolon". (For example, see video below, at 0:43-0:50). But how much do most Canadians know about Diagolon and its founder, Jeremy MacKenzie? Where can we learn more about them? No better place to start than this article....
Unmasking Jeremy MacKenzie: A comedy genius or a security threat? | SaskToday | Lisa Joy:
September 19, 2023 - "The federal government believed Canadian Forces veteran Jeremy MacKenzie posed a threat to national security and media outlets labelled him as the leader of a dangerous militia group. But who is Jeremy MacKenzie, and is he just a comedian as he claims, or a security concern? MacKenzie’s supporters say he is a comedian known for his satirical and humorous takes on social and political issues and his controversial statements and actions are part of his comedic persona, rather than indicative of any real-world threats.
“'He's very good for morale,” said Dr. Matt Tucker, a military doctor who got to know MacKenzie when he was stationed on the same base.... 'He’s what we call a morale raiser. Not everybody's going to understand this kind of humour. Not everybody's going to appreciate it.' Likewise, Peter Kitto, a trauma counsellor for veterans, law enforcement, and emergency responders, and who is one of MacKenzie’s supporters, said his dark humour keeps many from putting a gun in their mouth....
"MacKenzie was a 15-year-old high school student when the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center buildings in New York on 9/11. As he watched the terror unfold, that’s when he knew he wanted to join the army to protect his country.... At 17 he enlisted and by the age of 20 he was deployed to Afghanistan. He was an infantry non-commissioned officer and was with the elite Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.... Twenty-seven men were killed during MacKenzie’s deployment. Seven of them were his close friends....
"MacKenzie was stationed in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. He trained soldiers in Jamaica and participated in exchange programs with the U.S. Marines.... After 14-and-a-half years, Master Corporal MacKenzie retired from the military, a decorated soldier. He received the Sacrifice Medal, ... a general campaign star from the Afghanistan war and a Canadian Forces decoration for more than 12 years of service with a spotless record....
"After returning from combat, MacKenzie felt betrayed by the Canadian government and the Canadian Armed Forces for their treatment of veterans. That anger and rage is evident in his podcast under the name Raging Dissident. He jokes that listeners have to be f***** up to appreciate his humour.
"In 2020, MacKenzie came to Saskatchewan from Nova Scotia and had only planned on staying a couple of weeks but then COVID-19 lockdowns happened so he ended up living here for two to three years.... It was during this time that MacKenzie came up with the idea of ... 'Diagolon,' a fictitious country in a parallel universe and used it as an analytical commentary on current events and politics.
"He said he had noticed that Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Alaska, along with the Mid-Western states of Texas, Florida, South Dakota, formed a geographical diagonal line of states and provinces that resisted federal government-imposed mandates....'I kind of found it amusing that there was this kind of geographical divide,' he said.
"He then created the “Diagolon” flag on his cell phone and it became a symbol of his podcast. The vice-president of Diagolon was a cocaine-addicted, time-travelling goat named King Phillip. Diagolon was at war with 'Circulon.' Bees were bred to terrorize Diagolon’s enemies and a bee, Jeffrey, died in a kamikaze mission when he was swallowed by Doug Ford during a press conference. Diagolon had capital punishment. During game show hypothetical executions, in 'Dumpster Toss' someone is tossed from a tall building into a dumpster. Then there’s 'Torn Apart by Wolves' where the accused is put on an iceberg with hungry wolves. In 'Gun or Rope,' spectators get to choose between a firing squad or the gallows. The game show portions of MacKenzie’s podcasts ... were soon taken as 'evidence' that MacKenzie and Diagolon were promoting violence. MacKenzie, however, thought it was self-evident that Diagolon was a joke.
"It seems the RCMP didn’t perceive Diagolon as a group, a militia, or a security threat. 'Diagolon does not pose a criminal or national security threat,' said the RCMP. 'The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) is cited as the main authority on the group by all mainstream media outlets; due to the fact that all information traces back to one source, triangulation and the verification of facts is almost impossible at the current time.'
"Before long, others not seeing that Diagolon was a joke became the joke, said investigative journalist and Ontario lawyer Caryma Sa’d. MacKenzie ... egged on the media to sensationalize Diagolon – and they took the bait. In November 2021, Jeremy circulated a group photo taken at a family barbecue in Viscount, Saskatchewan. The photo showed masked men with hunting rifles and the Diagolon flag.... MacKenzie posted it to social media and put “redacted” over everyone’s eyes.... He said he thought there was 'an outside chance' that someone in the media would take the photo, which they did and called it a militia training camp. 'No one's really interested in hearing my side of anything,' he said, adding that no media had ever called him to ask for his version. 'They just kind of played this crazy game of telephone. And it just got more and more insane as time went on.'
"And it did get more insane.... On Feb. 14, 2022, the federal government invoked the never-before used Emergencies Act largely because of Diagolon’s perceived threat to national security. After invoking the Emergencies Act, then Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, told reporters: 'Several individuals at Coutts have strong ties to a far-right organization [ie, Diagolon] with leaders who are in Ottawa.'...
"Sa’d had attended the POEC inquiry and said that Diagolon seemed to play a big role in the use of the Emergencies Act. 'There were a number of factors that the commissioner identified as warranting the Emergencies Act but I do think (Diagolon) was a big part of it. Diagolon was a thread that appeared woven throughout.' Sa’d said that MacKenzie had never been to Coutts and wasn’t in communication with any of the accused leading up to their arrest.
"In fact, numerous videos played at the POEC inquiry showed MacKenzie urging all of his Diagolon fans to remain peaceful during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa. At one point during the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, MacKenzie said he became concerned about some individuals who could potentially become violent and he had called the RCMP to notify them, the inquiry heard. No one followed up on his concerns.
"In September 2022, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for MacKenzie’s arrest. He was arrested in Nova Scotia and flown back to Saskatchewan to face charges of assault, pointing a firearm, using a restricted weapon in a careless manner, and mischief. In August [2023], all of the charges were stayed in Saskatoon Provincial Court. MacKenzie believes that he was targeted and questions the timing of the charges being laid and flown to Saskatchewan on a national warrant. 'A lot of people's eyebrows were raised about that,” he said. 'And I was denied bail. Right? I have no record. And there's no reason to do this'....
"He said when he was arrested, the media acted like they had captured Osama bin Laden.... 'They flew me out to Saskatoon in ankle chains and wrist chains and belly chains on an RCMP flight with four or five cops like I’m Pablo Escobar,' said MacKenzie. 'It was crazy. And, you know, there was a stabbing, or killing at one of the clubs downtown in in Saskatoon where a woman killed another woman and she was out on bail the next day. It really felt like I was being treated a little differently than some other people.' It took two months before MacKenzie was finally granted bail....
"Kitto said that he spoke with MacKenzie several times while he was on remand at the Saskatoon Provincial Correctional Centre.... Kitto said that MacKenzie was falsely targeted as a white supremacist and housed with Indigenous street gangs. Kitto said white supremacy is so foreign to MacKenzie’s knowledge and experience.... Kitto said the term 'racist' is overused in today’s cancel culture and he doesn’t consider MacKenzie a racist. 'Everybody’s a racist. That’s the new tag right? If you have an opinion on something well you’re a racist. It’s just being created to divide'.
"When Dr. Tucker watched as the media portrayed MacKenzie as a terrorist and a security threat, he was flabbergasted. 'I thought it was a bit ridiculous. I was taken aback. I mean, listen, and can I say this? I'll be honest with you because I know you work for the media and I don't mean this to be offensive in any way, but I, like a lot of people who have been in the military, have not been a huge fan necessarily of the media at all times. But I never expected anything like that. You know what I mean? I just thought it was crazy. I was like, this isn't the person that I know'....
"Kitto said the media and the government needed a boogeyman and they found one in MacKenzie. 'It was just laughable,' said Kitto. 'It's just incredible to speculate that all these guys (Diagolon fans) have a hidden agenda, and they're just using humour to cover it up. Like, OK, where's the secret bases? Where's the training facilities? Where's the membership? It's just absolutely laughable. That's a joke in itself.'"
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