Doerkson condemns white nationalist group's gathering at the legislature steps the morning after the election
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson, at his first press conference, said he will use every part of the law to protect residents after 13 masked men linked to white nationalism posed for photos on the BC legislature steps on October 25.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on cheknews.ca.
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson said he will use every part of the law to protect British Columbia residents from hate, at his first press conference on October 25, after 13 masked men linked by researchers to white nationalism gathered on the steps of the BC legislature in Victoria that morning. CHEK News reported the incident and Doerkson's response.
Photos of the gathering were obtained by The Tyee, taken by passersby on the Sunday morning after the October 24 election.
What happened
CHEK News reported that the 13 masked men walked across the lawn of the legislature and posed in front of the building for photos. They carried a sign reading "remigration saves our nation."
Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, told CHEK News: "Remigration means racist, mass deportation." He said the sign also carried symbols linked for decades to white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Canada, including the red ensign. Photos of the gathering were also posted to Reddit, showing the same men at Confederation Garden Park across the street from the legislature, CHEK News reported.
Steven Rai, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), described White Nationalist 3.0 in a report from March as a decentralized global network that uses physical fitness and combat sports as a path into white supremacist activism and violence.
What Doerkson said
At his first press conference as premier-designate, Doerkson said the gathering was frustrating and that his government would act: "We will act with every part of the law that we can to protect our residents," CHEK News reported.
CHEK News reported that all provincial political leaders condemned the gathering.
Previous incidents
CHEK News reported a previous incident in Kamloops linked to the white nationalist group Second Sons Canada, condemned by all provincial political leaders, the Kamloops RCMP and Canada's prime minister.
Victoria Police Department (VicPD) told CHEK News that it "works with partner agencies to monitor groups that promote hate," but did not confirm whether it was notifying partner agencies about the October 25 gathering.
Follow what Premier-designate Doerkson says and does at the BC provincial election page and the promise tracker.
Questions this story answers
What happened at the BC legislature on October 25, 2026?
CHEK News reported that the morning after BC's provincial election, 13 masked men walked across the lawn of the BC legislature in Victoria and posed in front of the building for photos. Anti-extremist researchers who spoke to CHEK News said the group's sign, reading 'remigration saves our nation,' is associated with white nationalist groups. Photos were obtained by The Tyee, taken by passersby that Sunday morning.
What did Lorne Doerkson say about the gathering at the legislature?
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson, at his first press conference on October 25, 2026, condemned the gathering. CHEK News quoted him saying the event was frustrating and that his government would act: 'We will act with every part of the law that we can to protect our residents.' It was his first day as premier-designate.
Who are the researchers who identified the group as white nationalist?
CHEK News cited two sources. Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said 'remigration means racist, mass deportation.' Steven Rai, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, described White Nationalist 3.0 as a decentralized global network that uses fitness and combat sports as entry points into white supremacist activism and violence, in a report from March.
What did VicPD say about the gathering?
Victoria Police Department (VicPD) told CHEK News that it 'works with partner agencies to monitor groups that promote hate,' but did not confirm whether it was notifying partner agencies specifically about the October 25 gathering at the legislature.
Was this the first white nationalist gathering near a BC landmark?
CHEK News reported a previous incident in Kamloops linked to the white nationalist group Second Sons Canada, condemned by all provincial political leaders, the Kamloops RCMP and Canada's prime minister. CHEK News described the October 25 event as a separate incident.
What does the sign 'remigration saves our nation' mean?
Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, told CHEK News: 'Remigration means racist, mass deportation.' CHEK News reported the sign also carried symbols associated by researchers with white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, including the red ensign, an old Canadian emblem that Balgord said is used 'to symbolize when Canada was whiter.'
Where can I follow what Lorne Doerkson does as premier-designate?
The voche.me BC provincial election page at /bc/provincial-2026 follows the count and what the premier-designate says and does. The promise tracker at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker lists every platform commitment. Elections BC's final count runs November 6 to 10, 2026 at results.elections.bc.ca.
Will there be a police investigation of the legislature gathering?
CHEK News reported that VicPD said it works with partner agencies to monitor groups that promote hate, but did not confirm any specific investigation into the October 25 gathering. CHEK News did not report any charges or arrests as of its publication on October 26, 2026.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- CHEK News, Doerkson denounces white supremacist stunt at B.C. legislature, October 26, 2026cheknews.ca
- The Tyee, Doerkson Condemns White Supremacist Legislature Stunt (photos)thetyee.ca
- Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Tribe and Train: Examining Canada's New Model of White Supremacist Mobilization, Steven Raiisdglobal.org
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