A growing number of people in Prince George are taking a stand against white supremacist graffiti and symbols appearing around town.
Social media platforms, including the Prince George subreddit at reddit.com, frequently feature posts promoting the removal or cover-up of alt-right and white supremacist graffiti.
Much of the graffiti and other symbols being covered up have been linked to the far-right movement Diagolon.
Diagolon is a Canadian alt-right group founded by podcaster Jeremy MacKenzie. The movement advocates for the creation of a new country made up of like-minded regions — from Alaska to Florida — based on shared values found in Western Canada and parts of the southern and midwestern United States.
The group has been connected to several militia networks across Canada and is known for promoting extremist views, including violent revolution. Diagolon’s slogan, “gun or rope,” underscores its radical ideology.
Graffiti associated with the group has been spotted along Highway 16 leaving Prince George, as well as on stickers posted throughout the city.
These stickers often link to an active Telegram channel called Ferryman’s Toll, which promotes Diagolon’s extremist messaging and other alt-right talking points.
The account is allegedly run by Alex Vriend, a well-known and vocal Diagolon member. He reportedly has ties to U.S. extremist circles, including Thomas Rousseau, the leader of the far-right group Patriot Front.
One Northern BC resident, who asked to remain anonymous due to receiving death threats, has been actively working to remove hateful symbols from public spaces around Prince George.
“It’s definitely out of a high sense of justice,” they said. “A lot of people around me have ended up becoming victims of hate crimes. It’s not just neo-Nazi or far-right stuff. We also cover up a lot of hate stuff in general … It just felt like the right thing to do. I have the time and resources, and I want to make a positive impact on my community.”
The resident has been removing hate-motivated graffiti for more than four years. Over the past year, they’ve formed a small network of others in Northern BC and along the coast who are also taking action in their own communities.
They say the group has observed recurring patterns in the placement of white supremacist graffiti.
“Pretty much every time we go to Prince George, there’s at least one thing,” they said. “It’s not like you take one down and two more go up. It’s more like, we’re figuring out where to look. Certain alleyways, malls, and frequently used spaces. They’re clearly targeting places where teenage boys hang out, trying to sell neo-Nazism and xenophobia under the guise of masculinity and family values. And it goes downhill fast from there.”
The group has noted that a disproportionate amount of the messaging is found near locations frequented by youth.
“We’re seeing it around high schools a lot,” they said. “But from what we’ve seen, it’s not high schoolers. It’s men in their mid-20s to late 40s. We’ve seen some of them putting up flyers and stickers. It’s no longer just some old white guy. It’s people my age too.”
They believe there are only two groups in Prince George responsible for much of the propaganda and that they frequently alter their messaging and symbols to confuse the public.
“I think it’s really only two groups with slightly different values — and they don’t even get along,” they said. “They keep changing the iconography to make it look like there are more people involved. People say, ‘Are you sure that’s a Nazi symbol? I’ve never seen that before.’ But it’s just a dog whistle — to help other Nazis recognize them and build a community.”
While alt-right messaging has been around in small amounts for years, the resident says its presence has grown more steadily in recent times.
“It wasn’t this bad 10 years ago,” they said. “It’s been a slow but steady rise. It’s not like COVID caused it — it’s just more people getting desperate to find a community.”
Despite their group’s small size, they believe anyone in Prince George can help fight back against the spread of white supremacist messaging.
“I wish more people were involved,” they said. “We’re not trying to start a group that becomes a target. But it’s deflating when people just walk past this stuff. They say, ‘It’s not hurting anyone,’ but it is — it normalizes it. These symbols are scary for a reason.
“My advice is simple: if you have a scraper, scrape it off. Educate people on the symbols. And if you can’t scrape it, cover it up.”
