White nationalist gather near Kamloops residential school site, leaders condemns

Just three days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, about 30 masked individuals gathered on First Nations land near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on Sunday morning.

The group wore white face coverings, black clothing, and caps, with some carrying flags. First Nations representatives stated that individuals associated with Second Sons Canada—a group described as being linked to white supremacist and white nationalist ideologies—were spotted within the community.

A few hours later, masked individuals believed to belong to the same group were photographed on the Pacific Way overpass in Kamloops holding a banner reading, "Got bones?"

The banner appeared to reference the former residential school. In May 2021, the First Nation announced that preliminary ground-penetrating radar work had identified 215 potential burial sites on the school grounds.

Leading political figures across British Columbia have strongly condemned the gathering on the First Nation's territory in the province's Interior.

NDP Leader David Eby and Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson both denounced the protest, with David Eby calling it a "disgusting, dangerous, and cowardly" incident, while Lorne Doerkson stated that such behavior has "no place in British Columbia."