Inside a neo-Nazi group attempting to gain a foothold in Winnipeg and across the country
During the past month, the Free Press carried out an
undercover investigation into a neo-Nazi group called The Base, which is
conducting a recruitment drive in Winnipeg.
undercover investigation into a neo-Nazi group called The Base, which is
conducting a recruitment drive in Winnipeg.
After
posters emblazoned with fascistic imagery and bearing the phrase “Save
your Race, Join The Base” started popping up around the city — first in
St. James, then Osborne Village, on Portage Avenue and in the North End —
the Free Press reached out to the group. A reporter posed as a white nationalist and expressed interest in joining.
The
reporter passed through a multi-tiered vetting process that included
email and encrypted messaging exchanges, a voice call with the group’s
founder in the U.S., and an in-person meeting with its local activist.
Then he was invited to become a member.