Known as “doxing,” the practice of circulating photos and personal information of human rights and environmental activists has been used by a wide range of white nationalist groups. Sometimes doxing by such groups and associated individuals is accompanied by threats and harassment.
Vancouver, Canada is no exception. Large-scale climate change protests and anti-pipeline actions have brought thousands to the streets. Apparent far rightists have posed as journalists at recent events to gain information on demonstrators and dox them.
There is a growing concern about one such individual in Vancouver who is doxing left and anti-fascist activists under the apparent pseudonym “John Southern.” As this article documents, Southern appears to have past connections to the Heritage Front, a violent neo-Nazi group that operated in the 1990s. Southern has also engaged in anti-Semitism online.
Mr. “Southern” posts videos and identifying information of progressive activists on two separate YouTube pages.
He recently targeted gatherings held by members of the Kurdish community, anti-fascist events, a BC human rights office, and rallies addressing climate change.[1] “Southern” sometimes gets confrontational, though he frequently just attempts to blend in and use his videos to identify his political enemies. Southern also offers advice to other potential doxers, urging them to “video at ALL events especially leftist environmental one’s…where they go without their masks. Don’t engage anyone, just blend in as a ‘Journalist’ and go around taking photos/videos of faces, feet, arms, front and back, glasses, blemishes on skin, etc.”
A little digging uncovered that “John Southern” appears to operate on Reddit under the moniker “one_day_time.” In numerous instances “one_day_time” provides direct links to and claims credit for the John Southern YouTube channel, including posting videos claiming to “unmask” anti-fascists. Another Reddit account under the name “John_southern” also posts videos from the same YouTube account.
Attendees at recent events report Southern taking video footage of participants that appeared to show up later on his YouTube page. At one event, eyewitnesses verified Southern videotaping an individual being interviewed by a Canadian national television outlet. The video appeared on Southern’s YouTube page shortly thereafter where he also boasted about interfering with the interview by faking a stumble and crashing into the journalist. These actions are visible in the video.
“John Southern” was photographed at an October 7th, 2019 Extinction Rebellion blockade of the Burrard Street bridge in Vancouver, BC.
“John Southern”
In addition to his own YouTube account, “Southern” posts his videos on the “Canada_First” Reddit page. The “John_Southern” Reddit account also posts “John Southern” YouTube videos to the Canada_First page. One moderator of the Canada_First page is Faith Goldy.
Goldy became a poster-girl for organized racists after attending the 2017 Charlottesville white nationalist rally, ostensibly as a journalist; mounting a failed, and racist, bid for Mayor of Toronto; and repeatedly mouthing racist statements. A onetime talking head for Rebel Media – an outlet akin to America’s Breitbart News – Goldy was booted from the venue in August 2017 for appearing on a broadcast of the vulgar racist and anti-Semitic Daily Stormer’s Krypto Report.[2] In a 2017 podcast Goldy notoriously mouthed the infamous “14 Words” penned by racist murderer David Lane. At the time Goldy stated, “I don’t see why that’s controversial, is that bad?…I think it’s controversial to say the opposite.”[3]
Ironically, even as he posts his doxing videos on the Canada_First page, Southern has used his “one-day-time” Reddit account to attack Goldy on the Canada_First page. He does not appear to have done so through his “John_Southern” Reddit account, apparently seeking to keep his “one-day-time” attacks anonymous.
About two months ago, for instance, “one-day-time” lashed out at Goldy for “shilling for Israel,” being friends with “Zionist Conrad Black,” and being an alleged “cokehead.”
In another attack on Goldy at about the same time on his own Reddit feed, “one-day-time” assailed the far right pundit for her “loyalty to Israel.” In the same post “one-day-time” claimed past involvement with Wolfgang Droege of the neo-Nazi Heritage Front. The Heritage Front was a violent white supremacist organization active in the 1990s that welcomed neo-Nazis, racist skinheads, Holocaust Deniers, and former Ku Klux Klansmen along with a CSIS agent named Grant Bristow. CSIS stands for Canadian Security Intelligence Service, akin to the U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency.[4]
As this post makes clear, “one-day-time” felt close enough to the Toronto-based “Wolfgang” to advise him on internal organizational security matters. Such a connection makes unsurprising that “one_day-time”/”Southern” has engaged in anti-Semitic banter with an individual commenting on a video he posted on the Canada_First Reddit page.
In response to a posting about 5 days ago on the Canada_First Reddit page, “John_Southern” reiterated his apparent anti-Semitism:
“John Southern” is not unique but part of ongoing efforts to intimidate opposition to the growing far right and white nationalist organizing taking place throughout North America. Those who value multiracial democracy must be vigilante in dealing with all forms of harassment by reactionary racists and white nationalists.
Watch for individuals videoing your events; protect members of targeted communities; ask potential doxers for their media credentials and organizational affiliations; let people at the event know about their suspect behavior; go back and forth to your vehicle in groups; and beware that anything you say or do can end up on a white nationalist or other far right feed.
In addition to keeping yourself safe, join IREHR in exposing the “John Southerns” of the world. Trepper, the Anti-Bigotry app, is now available for you to document those trying to dox, harass or intimidate you. Find out more about it at https://irehr.org/.
