Community centre in Jarvis, Ont., says far-right group Diagolon misled venue when it booked event

The management board of a community centre in Jarvis, Ont., says it was misled by a far-right group that held an event in its space on Wednesday evening.

Ian Cooper, a management board member of the Jarvis Lions Community Centre, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that there was a booking described as a "family and friends get-together" and no one knew it was by Diagolon. The group was named in a 2022 House of Commons report as an example of "ideologically motivated violent extremism."

"We were [misled] as to the purpose and nature of the event that was planned, by the person who booked the hall and signed the contract," Cooper said, adding the board has contacted the building's owner and Haldimand County to "prevent this from happening again."

CBC Hamilton contacted Cooper and other members of the board for comment but didn't receive a response.

CBC also spoke to at least three people who were in Jarvis on Wednesday night and were upset the event was taking place. 

Josh Parsons, who lives in nearby Port Dover, said he was walking by the community centre and saw a full parking lot and people wearing Diagolon shirts.

"I was enraged ... them being so present in the community," he said, adding a children's softball game was taking place nearby.

Jarvis is within Haldimand County, about 50 kilometres southwest of Hamilton. 

The county issued a media release Thursday afternoon that also said the "suspected alt-right extremist group" was "misrepresenting the event nature and intended facility use."

"Groups such as Diagolon who allegedly promote violence and racism are not welcome in the Haldimand community," Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley said.

County chief administrative officer Cathy Case said staff and volunteers will work together to try to prevent future cases, but it can be hard to do so when people aren't honest when booking.

Ontario Provincial Police told CBC Hamilton in an email on Thursday it didn't "have any information" to confirm the event.

CBC Hamilton also reached out to Diagolon about the intended use of the facility and how it booked it, and to seek a response to the mayor's statement. The group responded but did not address those specific questions. It told CBC Hamilton in an email before the event that it was "sold out."

Diagolon was founded by podcaster Jeremy MacKenzie.