Jeremy MacKenzie, leader of online group 'Diagolon,' denied bail
The founder of the online group 'Diagolon,' was denied bail at a provincial court in Saskatoon on Friday.
Jeremy MacKenzie, 36, was charged with assault, pointing a firearm and using a restricted weapon in a careless manner, and mischief in connection with an alleged assault near Viscount, Sask., in November 2021 — a community roughly 75 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon.
He was arrested last week in Cole Harbour, N.S. on a Canada-wide warrant issued by Saskatchewan RCMP in July.
Provincial court Judge Bruce Bauer made the decision to deny bail. A court-ordered publication ban prevents CTV from reporting the reason’s behind Bauer’s decision.
Roughly a dozen supporters were in the courtroom Friday. Mackenzie, wearing a grey sweatshirt, acknowledged them when he entered the prisoner’s box.
Diagolon, the group Mackenzie leads, is described in a 2022 House of Commons report as an ideologically motivated and violent extremist organization.
It originally started as an online joke about a fake nation state but has since come to attract thousands of followers rallying against authority and government control.
Multiple people arrested at the Coutts, Alta. border crossing during the February convoy protest allegedly have ties to Diagolon. Physical threats to RCMP officers' safety led to raids on trailers near the protest area, which resulted in the seizure of a cache of weapons and body armour.
RCMP are also investigating Mackenzie for comments made last month during a livestream about raping the wife of federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Mackenzie is scheduled to appear back in court on Oct. 13.
With Canadian Press files.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.