Is Diagolon a joke or a threat? Or both?

When CPC leadership frontrunner Pierre Poilievre shook hands with Jeremy MacKenzie, a founder of the Diagolon movement, he likely had no idea who he was. But he soon found himself being asked to distance himself from the man. That’s because although many in the movement will tell you that Diagolon is a joke, or a meme, the values it espouses are the opposite.

Peter Smith is an investigative reporter at the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, he joined us to discuss the origins of Diagolon, and delve into what we know about the group’s main motivations.

“This is implicit accelerationism, it doesn’t encourage the end, they don’t want to be on the frontlines, but they see it as inevitable, and ultimately for where they believe the country needs to head, desirable,” he said.

Is Diagolon really just a satirical call for a new nation across a diagonal swathe of North America? Is it just a way to justify being a troll online? How have we seen it manifest out in the real world? And why are people who cover hate groups worried about it?

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