white supremacist speaks out against hate
canada goose outlet parka Bethany Lindsay, Vancouver SunDaniel Gallant holds a photo of himself as a child and another of him when he was a white supremacist. canada goose outlet parka
canada goose outlet shop In a video he made for the Extreme Dialogue buy canada goose jacket cheap project, Gallant lists off the horrifying array of weapons he used to hurt people: his fists, a bar stool, beer bottles, steel toed boots, a shovel, a car door, guns, knives, a hockey stick and a hatchet. canada canada goose uk shop goose outlet shop
canada goose outlet online uk “It is so stupid,” he says. canada goose outlet online canada goose factory sale uk
canada goose outlet black friday “I got addicted to the power in beating somebody, in waking them Canada Goose Online up and beating them back into unconsciousness and just not stopping.” canada goose outlet black friday
goose outlet canada Extreme Dialogue was launched in February as a tool to counter the flood of extremist propaganda that’s available to teenagers online. Funded by Public Safety Canada, the project also features videos starring Christianne Boudreau, a Calgary woman whose son Damian Clairmont was killed in Syria last year after he was recruited to fight for ISIS. goose outlet canada
“Both are very vulnerable and raw. Both https://www.beachcottage.ca speak to the learned experience of people who’ve been affected by violent extremism,” Gallant said in an interview.
canada goose outlet “She was the mother and I canadian goose jacket was the perpetrator.” canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet store He doesn’t see many differences between the white power group he joined as a teenager in east Vancouver and the jihadists who are recruiting young Canadians Canada Goose online today. Like canada goose gangs and cults, these extremists target vulnerable and marginalized youth, offering them a sense of belonging and a common enemy to hate. canada goose outlet Canada Goose sale store
canada goose black friday sale “(These groups are) accessing individuals who have been socially isolated in some context, which could look like many things,” he said. canada goose black friday sale
Although canada goose uk outlet radical Islam dominates today’s headlines, Gallant is canada goose coats adamant that there are many extreme ideologies that pose threats in Canada.
canada goose outlet nyc “Yes, we have major issues with this currently, but when we look into the not so distant past of Canada, this was not necessarily the canada goose uk black friday biggest issue, and if we think the other stuff is gone, we’re wrong,” he said. canada goose outlet nyc
canada goose outlet in usa He pointed to the foiled plot to commit a mass killing on Valentine’s Day in Halifax; the young people accused in that plan uk canada goose outlet were apparently obsessed with Nazi symbolism. canada goose outlet in usa
Gallant had what he describes as a “pretty rough” childhood.
official canada goose canada goose clearance sale outlet He began using drugs and alcohol at 13, spent time in a juvenile detention centre, and then fell in with a group of skinheads in cheap canada goose uk east Vancouver at 19. They offered him a community, as well as work at a bar on Main Street. He spent the next several years committing violence, recruiting people to the cause and preparing for a “racial holy war.” official canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet online Then came Sept 11, 2001. It was a turning point for Gallant, but in a very unusual way. when he learned that the twin towers of the World Trade Center had fallen. Rather cheap Canada Goose than being disgusted by the senseless loss of life, Gallant saw the attack as a declaration of war against a common canada goose clearance enemy. canada goose outlet online
canada goose outlet jackets Canada Goose Coats On Sale “What they targeted was the epicentre of Jewish money,” he said. canada goose outlet jackets
canada goose outlet sale But instead of preparing for battle, white power leaders called for their followers to stand down. Gallant felt betrayed like the movement was a joke. canada goose outlet sale
canada goose outlet store uk “I broke down mentally and physically. I was going to commit suicide,” he said. canada goose outlet store canada goose black friday sale uk
Instead, he walked into a counsellor’s office and asked for help. That led him to an addictions treatment centre and canada goose store to people who challenged him to rethink his bigotry and reform his life.
Gallant is now studying law in Kamloops and works as a registered social worker. He speaks about extremism in schools and offers counselling to people trying to leave violent organizations.
canada goose outlet toronto factory In the video he filmed for Extreme Dialogue, Gallant breaks down in tears as Cheap Canada Goose Coats he talks about the people he’s hurt over the years. canada goose outlet toronto factory
“I get some people telling me that I should just let go of the past and forgive myself, and my response is that if you’ve done what I’ve done, you wouldn’t be thinking that,” he says.
canada goose jacket outlet “There’s people that are affected for their entire lives because of me.” canada goose jacket outlet
Besides the videos, the Extreme Dialogue project also provides educational resources for schools and community groups. Training on preventing kids from joining extremist groups will be offered for teachers, canada goose coats on sale community workers and police.