Experts sound alarm about new far-right nationalist group in Quebec

Experts are sounding the alarm about a new far-right nationalist group that has formed in Quebec.

This weekend, a group of young nationalists celebrated the first salvo in the patriot revolt of 1837 in the village of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Que., about 60 kilometres east of Montreal, where the patriots faced the British army. They called out the names of the fighters and their fallen heroes.

During their march, the "Nouvelle Alliance" brought together generations of hard-line sovereignists, defending traditional Quebec society. 

"Nationalism may have bad press, but we're OK with it," one member said in an interview with Noovo Info.

The group's president, François Gervais, says, "We represent the Catholic heritage of Quebec society," claiming his group is conducting combative separatism.

Their tactics range from putting French on stop signs to protesting against mass immigration.

"For us, there is a problem with immigration: Quebec has far exceeded its thresholds for integration into society," Gervais added.

But radicalization experts say the group is flirting with the far right.

"Their imagery, the way they conduct themselves, the logos and symbols looks a lot like fascism," said Francis Dupuis-Deri, a political science professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

David Morin, an expert on radicalism at the Université de Sherbrooke, added: "From my perspective, they belong to the ethno-centrist radical right."

The topic is an embarrassing one for established sovereignist parties.

"It's a radical right party that does not belong in the independence movement," says newly elected Bloc Québécois MP Louis-Philippe Sauvé.

The Parti Québécois (PQ) leader is more nuanced.

"We have a code of ethics that makes it impossible to express hate in our party," Paul St-Pierre Plamondon told Noovo Info.

It remains to be seen if a group like the Nouvelle Alliance grows in strength and can carve out support amongst sovereignists as the PQ rises in the polls.

With files from Noovo Info