On September 20th, 2018, South Peace Community Resources Society (SPCRS) held their annual Take Back the Night event in Dawson Creek. Take Back the Night is an international event held annually to reclaim the streets for those who feel unsafe walking at night, including women and femmes, LGBTQIA2S+ folks, racialized minorities, and others who fear discrimination, harassment, or abuse in their communities.

Events often include marches, rallies and vigils intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of violence. Take Back the Night was originally a women-only event but has since expanded to include men and children in many communities, including Dawson Creek.

It was recently reported in the Dawson Creek Mirror that the Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigration and Islamophobic vigilante group, marched in the Take Back the Night event for the second year in a row, alongside elected officials and other community leaders. It seems there is a Peace Region chapter of this group, actively operating and recruiting in Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Chetwynd, and Tumbler Ridge.

More information about the Soldiers of Odin can be found here, and in many other news articles: https://youtu.be/F9NdN4a6D_g

The Soldiers of Odin are cognizant of their public perception and have been redoubling efforts to pass as a concerned, non-profit citizens group trying to “clean up” our communities, but the groups ideology, hierarchical organization, and skewed perception of the world speak volumes.

It is vital that we speak up against hatred in our communities, and refuse to work with or support the Soldiers of Odin in any way. Therefore, we the undersigned:

Call upon all elected officials, municipal candidates, and community leaders to publicly denounce the Soldiers of Odin, and to not associate with the group at any time in the future. Some ways you may consider to doing this are to issue a press release, post on social media, share your thoughts in an email or newsletter, or speak publicly about this issue. We encourage you to take a firm stance against hatred in our community.