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Militia with KKK sympathies forms to fight Six Nations

July 16, 2009 by

Jon Lockyer

The formation of a non-Aboriginal militia with KKK sympathies has generated concern by many residents of the Caledonia community, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike. The group, operating under the name Caledonia Peacekeepers, held their first meeting on June 23 in Cayuga, a small town 10 kilometers west of Caledonia in Haldimand County.

According to Doug Fleming, a primary organizer of the militia, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have failed to provide the non-First Nations community with adequate protection from what he sees as continued acts of “terrorism,” and are instead more willing to side with Native protestors on “occupied private property.” He goes on to state that, “This has nothing to do with land claims, this is to do with law enforcement and is a reflection of the shortcomings of the OPP.” The militia advocates the use of reasonable force and citizen’s arrest on individuals or groups trespassing on private property to restore order in the community.

Shortly before the announcement of the formation of the Caledonia Peacekeepers, Randy Fleming, brother of the militia’s founder, was detained by OPP officers following an altercation with Six Nations protestors in the vicinity of the disputed Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia. It has been reported that Fleming was walking down Argyle Street, bordering the disputed land, carrying a Canadian flag. Fleming then crossed onto the disputed territory, standing with his back to Six Nations protestors.

This has become common practice for anti-First Nations protest in Caledonia, and has become a more regular practice by members of the organization, Canadian Advocates for Charter Equality, (CANACE). The group began as an informal collection of non-Aboriginal citizens from Caledonia and its surrounding towns, but has now achieved corporate status through some charitable donations.

The group’s primary founder, Gary McHale, has been an outspoken supporter of anti-First Nations activism in Caledonia, and has pledged CANACE’s support for Fleming’s militia. Both the militia and CANACE’s mandate call for an end to “race-based policing” by the OPP, primarily focusing on the one-sided approach to policing the benefits the illegal actions of First Nations protestors. While both groups claim they support the equal rights of both Native and non-Native people, the intentions of Fleming and McHale remain questionable. CANACE newsletters and press releases often compare the actions of the OPP’s treatment of non-First Nations citizens to that of the KKK in the American south, and cite the systematic oppression of white Canadians by the Provincial government as the leading cause of violent conflict and lawlessness in Caledonia.

This all comes after more than three years of protests by the Six Nations of the Grand River where over 40 hectares of disputed land purchased by Henco Industries Limited, was to be developed into a subdivision, named the Douglas Creek Estates. The land itself is part of the 385, 000 hectare Halidimand Tract, which was granted to the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784 by the British Crown as compensation for land that was lost when they sided with the British during the American Revolution.

Henco claimed the land was sold to the Crown in the 1840s, while the people of Six Nations refute this claim noting there is only proof that it was leased and then expropriated without compensation.

The government subsequently bought the property from Henco and negotiations between the government and Six Nations have since stalled. On February 28, 2006 members of the Six Nations community began an occupation of the disputed land after more than 10 years of legal battles. Since the occupation began there have been numerous altercations between First Nations activists, community members and the OPP.