Canadian federal government has added the three Percenters movement to its list of terrorist entities, an anti-government group linked to a recent bomb plot in the US with a known presence in Canada. Canadian government has added four groups in its terrorist watch list in the recent past. According to reports, Canadian government has a comprehensive mechanism under which it carries out a detailed probe of grey entities after sufficient evidence the subject entities are designated for continued surveillance and financial monitoring. As far as the three Percenters is concerned it is the organization which claims representation of those three per cent Americans, who took up arms and served in George Washington’s Colonial Army in the American Revolution against the British rule. According to them, their main goals are to protect the right to bear arms, defend against an overreaching government and push back against tyranny.
Canadian government added the three percenters in the list of terrorist entities due to two of the group’s leaders’ role in a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer during 2020. According to Canadian government, a group member was involved in shooting and wounding five men at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Minnesota in 2015.
According to Canadian government, three Percenters have a chapter in Canada. Canada also designated two other violent extremist groups, Aryan Strikeforce, and James Mason. Both groups aim to carry out violent activities to overthrow governments, start a race war, and eradicate ethnic minorities. The Government designation of an organization as a terrorist entity has criminal and financial consequences. The financial institutions and Banks can freeze assets and police can charge persons who support or finance such a group.
Presently, extremist thoughts and behaviour had created a tremendous challenge for most of the countries of the world. The out break of extremists thought, hate or racism shaped in to the terrorism. The recent killing of a Pakistani Canadian Family in Canada is a clear illustration of extremist sentiments in Canadian society.
Earlier, Canadian Security Apparatus were haunting Muslim immigrants for their possible involvement in terrorism. However, several incidents of home grown terrorism are evident that Canadian LEAs remained failed to identify the threat. However, the problem is in its beginning stage and Canadian Security apparatus must redirect its efforts to meet the future challenge of home grown terrorism.
