Quebec City mayor worried about far-right group linked to cemetery referendum

A far-right group in Quebecis being warned against further political meddling after it was tied to a referendum campaign that successfully managed to block the construction of a Muslim cemetery.

Quebec City MayorRgis Labeaumeissued a stern rebuke Tuesday to La Meute, a secret Facebookgroup with more than 43,000 listed members that believes radical Islam is growing in influence in the province.

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"We don't need private militias to take care of that,"Labeaumesaid. "We are in society of laws, a democratic society."

The group played an active role in the early stages of a campaign against a proposed Muslimcemetery inSaint-Apollinaire, Que., a town of 6,400 that's35kilometres southwest of Quebec City.

La Meute supported efforts by residentSunny Ltourneauto gather enough signatures to force the required zoning changes to be submitted to a referendum.

On Sunday, the changes were voted down by a slim majority, with 19 of 36 voters checking the No box.

Aggressive campaigning

The failure of the referendum to pass was seen by many prominent Muslims as a rebuke to their community. The project was spearheaded by Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, the Quebec City mosque where six people were killed in a January attack.

In the wake of the shooting, Labeaumepromised Quebec City Muslims to ensure they would have a burial ground in the area, something they have sought for years.

But the referendum campaign inSaint-Apollinairewas marred by aggressive canvassing and misinformation on the part of opponents of the project,said MayorBernardOuellet, who backed the cemetery.

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"In the worst of cases, they were talking about being invaded or losing their roots as Quebecers," he told Radio-Canada following the vote.

Among the documents that were circulated by opponents were articles taken from Poste de Veille, a now-inactive websitethat had often been accused of posting Islamophobic content.

LaMeutepromised not to ruffle feathers

It is unclear whether members of the registered no committee were responsible for the campaign tacticsOuellet criticized,

But Ltourneau, and several other members of the no-committee, became members of La Meute'sgroup this spring.

A spokesperson for La Meute said the groupceased its participation in the referendum campaign in April.

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"She asked us to not ruffle any feathers, and we respected that,"Sylvain Brouillettetold Radio-Canada, referring to Ltourneau.

Since it was formed in 2015 by a group of former Canadian Forces soldiers, La Meutehas progressively grown in size and organization.

Earlier this month, members joined another far right group from the Quebec City area Storm Alliance to demonstrateagainst asylum seekers illegally crossing into Canada from the U.S.

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In a Facebook post from this spring,Brouillette writing under his pseudonym,SylvainMaikan suggested the group's involvement in Saint-Apollinairewas a sign of its future political plans.

"Between now the next provincial election, la Meute[sic]will be very active in trying to make people aware of their real power when they stand up, and the citizens ofSaint-Apollinairewill held out as an example," the post reads.

That prospect appeared to unsettle Labeaume on Tuesday.

"They can organize. But I am advising them to be peaceful in Quebec City," he said. "We won't accept anything on their part ... that could resemble a provocation to violence."

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In previous interviews, and in online publications, La Meutehas repeatedly stressed it is a non-violent group dedicated to change through democratic channels.

On Tuesday evening,Brouillette responded to the Quebec City mayor's concernsin a Facebookpost to the group's members.

"You are warnedwolves, stay calm or else Mr. Labeaumewill show us how things work in Quebec," he wrote. "In other words, just be yourselves."