In Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the far right is rebuilding itself around an outlaw biker and a fascist hippie

–  SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION –

(Montréal Antifasciste is happy to publish this article that was submitted anonymously.)

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A visit to Jonquière last May by François Amalega, a key figure in the conspiracy theory and anti-trans movements, facilitated the regrouping and reorganization of a conspiracy theory and overall reactionary movement. In what follows, we will expose the elements around which this galaxy revolves, two identitarian groupuscules and a one-man micro–political party, its sole candidate having quit the party following the last election.

While Charles-Olivier Bolduc-Tremblay of the Parti libertarien du Québec housed Amalega and handled the promotion and logistics for the Jonquière demonstration against the drag queen story hour (with Karine O’Kay), in addition to speaking at the demonstration, Stéphane Gagnon, leader of Patriotes Sag Lac opened the doors of the Kéno R.O.C.K. Café, which he manages, for the demonstrators’ post-event gathering. On social media, we could see that this allowed for a grand reconciliation between the leader of the Parti libertarien du Québec and the leader of what remains of La Meute, the reactionary conspiracy theorist Jean-Claude De Guise (now J-C Criss on Facebook).

In the days following the demonstration, Bolduc-Tremblay travelled to the Outaouais to receive his La Meute t-shirt from De Guise, and then proudly posed with former La Meute second in command Éric Proulx (who was expelled from La Meute for sexual misconduct). Bolduc-Tremblay’s decision to join La Meute seems to have revived Clan 2. According to inside sources, for the umpteenth time, the clan is hoping to organise an event in the near future.

A few days later, the leader of the Parti libertarien was photographed with Stéphane Gagnon and his band at the Kéno R.O.C.K. Café wearing a Patriotes Sag-lac T-shirt. Unfortunately for Bolduc-Tremblay, his good friend made the headlines again after being photographed with singer Éric Lapointe, not wearing his Patriotes t-shirt, but with his leather jacket sporting the patch of the Devils Ghosts, a Hells Angels striker club. The Journal de Montréal writes:

“Selon nos informations, Gagnon en mènerait large au sein des Devils Ghosts, fondés il y a dix ans pour exécuter les basses œuvres des Hells sur le terrain en matière de violence et de stupéfiants. Gagnon traîne aussi un passé de cambrioleur récidiviste dans la capitale, où il a été condamné au criminel à 39 reprises.” [According to our sources, Gagnon is a major figure in the Devils Ghosts, founded ten years ago to carry out the Hells Angels’ dirty work, including violence and drug trafficking. Gagnon also has a history of carrying out numerous burglaries in the Québec City, where he has been convicted on criminal charges thirty-nine times.]

 

Gagnon’s involvement in a Hells Angels’ striker club for the past ten years is more than just a detail. It also raises questions about the activities of the Kéno R.O.C.K. Café, a Jonquière business with dubious funding, which Gagnon has managed and where he has acted as the “social facilitator” for the last ten years.

As for Bolduc-Tremblay, he defended his friend in a previous scandal. In a Facebook live broadcast on February 22, 2022, the leader of the Parti libertarien justified his support for his friend by arguing that the government and the media were more dangerous criminal organizations than the Hells Angels. In his comments, Gagnon denied being associated with any criminal group and swore to anyone willing to listen that he had been an upstanding citizen for the last twenty-six years. His wardrobe, however, suggests otherwise.

This shows an astonishing lack of judgement on the part of someone who aspires to become an MP (cynical comment!). To this we must add Bolduc-Tremblay’s participation in a Cité d’Accords summer camp for antisemitic conspiracy theorists and pro-Russian ultranationalists. More recently, there are his discussions with Jo L’indigo (real name Jonathan Blanchette), a conspiracy theorist and the leader of another laughable micro-party, the Union nationale, during the latter’s unsuccessful visit to Saguenay. The highlight of the visit: according to Blanchette, dark forces caused his vehicle, which was financed by his followers, to break down!

This is what the far right looks like in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean at the moment: a criminal biker, the leader and sole member of a libertarian, transphobic, and male supremacist party, and a following of conspiracy theorists ready to get behind any egomaniacal loudmouth.