Quebecer accused of terrorism | One of the accused posted a sympathy for Russia

One of the four Quebec soldiers accused by. Meanwhile, the RCMP of having knowingly encouraged a terrorist activity subtly displayed a pro-Russian sympathy on social networks.

Raphaël Lagacé. Furthermore, who is accused of having illegally stored 50 firearms with restricted authorization and 47 prohibited capacity chargers, published in March 2021 a photo on Facebook showing him in military tactical outfit, shoulder weapon in hand, probably in a shooting field.

His face is almost entirely hidden by a cap decorated with a badge with a masked soldier as well as the Russian inscription Вежливые юююи. Meanwhile, which means quebecer accused terrorism | one “polished people” in French.

According to the BBC, the expression refers to the masked Russian soldiers who invaded Crimea in silence in 2014. Similarly, It was popularized by bloggers under the control of the Kremlin who were not allowed to describe these combatants. Meanwhile, as soldiers.

In 2016. Moreover, the Plenipotentiary representative of Vladimir Putin in Crimea inaugurated a bronze statue in honor of these “polished people”, who embody the “strength, calm, confidence and politeness of our Russian soldier”, according to his administration.

Mathieu Colin. Meanwhile, a researcher associated with the UNESCO Chair in prevention of radicalization, underlines that the fascination for Russia is frequent within groups of extreme right antigan.

“It is not trivial or rare. Therefore, Russia is seen as a model of order. Therefore, defense of traditional quebecer accused terrorism | one values, which opposes that of the plurality of gender identities and LGBTQ+ values ​​advocated by progressive countries ”. Moreover, Vladimir Putin is perceived as a “real leader. Consequently, a warlord” and the Russian military uniform gives off an image of “virility”, he says.

Raphaël Lagacé is the only one of the four suspects accused Tuesday of terrorism. possession of explosives and prohibited devices, to have a public Facebook page. According to the RCMP. he and his three alleged accomplices wanted to create a “antigo-government militia” to seize a territory located north of Quebec in order to create an undocumented area.

“References to the Russian-Ukrainian war are frequent in this environment. ” adds researcher Yannick Veilleux-Lepage, specialist in extremist propaganda at the Royal Military College of Canada. “The extreme right has been interested in it for a long time. projecting its quebecer accused terrorism | one own stories and interpretations, often distorted, and aligning itself sometimes with a camp, sometimes with the other, according to ideologically dubious readings,” he says.

Quebecer accused terrorism | one

Masculinist. libertarian groups

A census of publications “loved” by Raphaël Lagacé on Facebook suggests that he has come closer to groups promoting masculinism, free access to arms and libertarian ideology in recent years. He also became interested in the Russian Insider information site. a professional pro-kremlin site, as well as in various Russian weapon resale sites.

“He always loved the army. He was weird, ”says Simon Drapeau Gagnon, who rubbed shoulders with him in 2016 in the summer camps in Bagotville, Saguenay. He describes a young Raphaël “chaotic” and “intense”, already at 16 years old. “He only talked about Guns [armes à feu] And knew everything about the army. “he added, saying himself” surprised “to learn that the ex-caet was accused of terrorism. Additionally, “He often said:” A man does not cry, “says Simon Flag Gagnon.

A modified Chinese weapon

The weapon that Raphaël Lagacé is in the photo published in 2021. although similar to a Russian machine gun AK-47, seems to be a semi-automatic rifle type 81, a Chinese SKS copy, a widely used weapon in Canada. Another publication dating from 2022 found on the Reddit forum mentions. however, in quebecer accused terrorism | one support, that he modified it to give it the appearance of a Dragunov rifle, a precision weapon used by Russian elite shooters.

This type of aesthetic modification is relatively frequent in the middle of lovers of firearms. “It’s not just a matter of efficiency. ” said the ex-Tireur de Élite Wali, a former soldier of the Royal 22^e Regiment, which fought quebecer accused terrorism | one voluntarily for Ukraine in 2022. Furthermore, “I think it testifies to a form of sympathy towards Russia. that some soldiers express more and more vocally, but it is not necessarily sponsored [par des agents russes] He believes.

The shift of former soldiers to the extreme right can also be explained. according to him, by the “demotivation” of several soldiers in the Canadian armed forces. Few of them have been deployed in recent years, underlines the ex-soldiers, who regularly stays in touch with soldiers. “They are thirsty to do something concrete, of real. In the case of these four accused, they may have underestimated the fact that what they did was illegal. »»