In 2012, I wrote a warning: Masked protesters during demonstrations must be outlawed, labelled as shirkers, idlers, attempted wreckers of democracy, and considered possible terrorists under the Criminal Code. Over a decade later, not only has little changed, but the threat has intensified.
Masked protesters now regularly hijack causes, weaponizing anonymity to destroy property, disrupt institutions, and intimidate civilians. These acts are not expressions of freedom; they are deliberate attempts to undermine democracy through fear and chaos.
In Canada and the United States alike, the rise of masked protesters in recent years has revealed a disturbing trend: coordinated efforts by socially harmful elements—often affiliated with student unions or radical activist groups—using intimidation, violence, and chaos to impose their political will. These are not peaceful protesters. They are masked hooligans, agitators, and wreckers of democracy. And they must be called what they are: attempted domestic terrorists.
Gangs of masked student union protesters storming classrooms or shutting down campuses commit unlawful and violent acts against students, faculty, and property. Their goal is not to persuade, but to coerce and control through threats, occupation, and destruction.
In Montreal and across Canada, such incidents have only increased. And as in the United States, this pattern of lawlessness continues virtually unabated, enabled by political indifference, judicial leniency, and law enforcement hesitation. These perpetrators exploit democratic freedoms while actively working to dismantle them.
Even more troubling, the mainstream media often refers to these actions as "mischievous pranks" or "harmless dissent." This framing is dangerously dishonest. Masked rioters are not "scamps" or likable rebels. They are ideologically driven extremists who aim to disrupt civil society. Their actions meet the basic threshold for domestic terrorism: using violence or the threat of violence against persons or property to advance political or social objectives.
The Pattern of Lawlessness in Canada and the U.S.
In Canada, we’ve seen:
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Masked gangs storming university classes in Montreal and Toronto during pro-Palestinian encampments (2024–2025), using threats, physical blockades, and property damage to coerce institutions.
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The “Freedom Convoy” (2022) in Ottawa, where masked agitators embedded in a larger movement harassed residents, defied police, and paralyzed the capital.
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Pipeline and railway blockades, often led by masked activists who vandalize infrastructure and threaten workers under the guise of environmental or Indigenous solidarity.
In the United States, similar chaos unfolds:
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Portland and Seattle riots (2020), where masked radicals torched police stations and federal buildings night after night, calling it "resistance."
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Columbia, NYU, and UCLA university occupations (2024–2025), where masked protesters barricaded buildings, threatened Jewish students, and shut down campuses, abandoning any pretense of civil discourse.
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The Capitol riot (January 6, 2021), where masked and unmasked individuals stormed a democratic institution, claiming patriotism while practicing sedition.
In both nations, the masked element is consistent: they arrive not to protest but to dominate, coerce, and destroy. These are not “scamps” or pranksters as today's media sometimes portrays them—they are professional agitators, social outlaws, and enemies of democratic society.
Call It What It Is: Domestic Terrorism
The Criminal Code of Canada and U.S. law define terrorism as the use of violence against persons or property to intimidate a population or compel a government or institution. When masked mobs threaten students, silence voices, or burn public infrastructure to further political agendas, they cross that threshold.
These are not protestors. These are domestic terrorists.
They cloak themselves in moral outrage, but their true aim is coercion, not justice. They abuse the liberties of democratic societies to pursue authoritarian goals. And too often, they are excused or enabled by politicians, judges, and media figures who lack the courage to draw the line.
No More Excuses, No More Leniency
It is no longer acceptable to minimize these acts as youthful rebellion or ideological passion. The rule of law must be upheld. Civil disobedience loses its legitimacy when it adopts violence, threats, and destruction as tools of change.
We must no longer tolerate:
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Masked individuals storming classrooms,
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Organized rioters destroying civic infrastructure,
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Student unions giving cover to habitual disruptors,
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Judges who downplay violent acts as minor infractions.
This behaviour is criminal, anti-social, and explicitly hostile to democracy.
This behaviour is not a democratic expression. It is mob rule, and it must be confronted with strength and clarity.
Such lawlessness cannot be excused as civil disobedience or youthful rebellion. Those who incite violence and destruction behind masks are not agents of change—they are habitual social offenders, shirkers, and enemies of open society. They undermine legitimate protest movements, distort public discourse, and embolden political extremism.
It is time that lawmakers, judges, media, and society as a whole reject this normalization of violence and treat masked, organized disruption for what it truly is: an assault on democracy. We must defend our institutions, protect our campuses, and enforce the law with the full strength of our democratic principles.
In a free society, protest is a right, but using violence and fear to silence others is not. It is time we make that line unmistakably clear.
Conclusion: Defend Democracy—Unmask the Truth
Democracy does not die from censorship alone—it dies when fear replaces dialogue, when mobs replace debate, and when violence masquerades as virtue.
Masked protestors who use coercion and destruction should be treated not as activists but as wreckers of democracy, habitual offenders, and domestic enemies of the social contract. Let us protect the sacred right to protest, but draw the clearest of lines: freedom ends where violence begins.
It is time we name this threat and deal with it accordingly. The law must be enforced. The masks must come off.