Canada鈥檚 Aryan Guard Muddied Again
Yet another associate of Canada鈥檚 beleaguered has landed in jail.
鈥� a white supremacist who has attended most of the neo-Nazi group鈥檚 events, though he claims not to be an official member 鈥� faces multiple charges in connection with an attempted stabbing this week on a Calgary city train (CTrain).
According to a city of Calgary news release, the incident occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, when an emergency button was activated on a CTrain. After being told that the button had been pressed accidentally, the driver stopped the train and left his cab to deactivate the button. As he entered the center car, a knife-wielding man darted toward him. With his would-be attacker in pursuit, the driver ran back to his cab, locked himself inside, and called law enforcement. When police caught up with the suspect at a train platform nearby, Marleau allegedly removed the knife from his jacket and waved it in front of him. After he refused to drop the knife, police subdued him with a Taser and took him into custody.
Marleau, a 22-year-old Calgary resident, was charged with three counts of assault with a weapon, and one count each of illegal possession of a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and causing a disturbance. The driver was unharmed.
The Quebec Media Agency reported yesterday that the driver was a minority. However, a Calgary police spokeswoman told Hatewatch that she could not confirm the driver鈥檚 race or reveal whether the attack was racially motivated, saying details would emerge during court proceedings.
Marleau isn鈥檛 the only one with ties to the Aryan Guard to face serious charges in recent weeks. Kyle McKee, a founding member of the group, and an unnamed teenager were in connection with two homemade bombs found outside an apartment complex in Calgary. According to an announcement on the Aryan Guard website, one of the two victims targeted in the Nov. 21 attack was Marleau鈥檚 former girlfriend. Marleau was but does not face charges.
Founded in 2006, the Aryan Guard has staged highly visible 鈥渨hite pride鈥� marches through downtown Calgary. It has also been linked to attacks on minorities, including an assault last year on a Japanese visitor. But the group鈥檚 future is unclear: Shortly after the attempted bombings, the Aryan Guard announced on its website that it was disbanding. Several days later, however, the group鈥檚 new leadership reversed that decision, saying it was looking forward to 鈥渁 new day of carnage and brutality.鈥�
