Rally to defend Discontent City planned after Soldiers of Odin threaten removal

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Discontent City and Alliance Against Displacement are planning a rally to defend tent city after Soldiers of Odin threatened to dismantle it.

In an online post that has since been removed by Facebook, the Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island chapter wrote that due to what they call “continued inaction by authorities and reports of child sex trafficking” they plan to help “facilitate the removal of Discontent city this Sunday,” adding ominously, “we ask our friends supporters and general public to stay away from this area due to safety concerns.”

The Soldiers of Odin wrote the dismantling of tent city was planned for 1 p.m. Now Discontent City in Nanaimo and Alliance Against Displacement are organizing a rally to defend tent city at 12:30 p.m. at the tent city’s front gate.

“We call on supporters to join us, and on the RCMP and the City of Nanaimo to denounce this vigilante attempt to displace homeless people,” the groups said in a release.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of B.C. ruled against the City of Nanaimo, denying a request for enforcement of a fire safety order.

“It is not surprising that the city’s failure to obtain the court’s approval to use police brutality against Discontent City has left a void that local fascists are taking upon themselves to fill. The city’s attempt on Monday to justify displacement may have mobilized concerns around fire safety rather than child welfare, but their end goal was the same as the Soldiers of Odin to intimidate, harass, and disperse the tent city. If the RCMP and the City of Nanaimo do not stand on the side of the tent city residents they are complicit in any violence that neo-Nazi groups carry out tomorrow,” Discontent City and Alliance Against Displacement said.

The two groups also said there is no evidence of trafficking in tent city.

The president of the Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island chapter, Conrad, who has declined to give his last name, said the group is appealing the removal of their Facebook post. The post had been reported by several people on social media.

Nanaimo RCMP said Friday they’re aware of the post and will be present Sunday to ensure public safety.

The Soldiers Of Odin have threatened to dismantle Nanaimo's tent city on Aug. 19, 2018. File Photo.

The Soldiers Of Odin have threatened to dismantle Nanaimo’s tent city on Aug. 19, 2018. File Photo.

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