The Populism Project: A look at the voices that make up the Rebel yell
TORONTO — They roared up in motorcycles and climbed out of Ubers, wearing high heels and flip flops, “Make Canada Great Again” hats, brocade blazers and sweatsuits.
They were lawyers and truck drivers, retirees and students; those at the podium described them variously as civic nationalists, patriots, citizen journalists and crusaders — the last stalwarts of the traditional Western order.
They gathered Saturday in Toronto in support of upstart Rebel Media, a controversial “news, opinion and activism” website often accused of propagating the sort of hatred-laced content that fuels right-wing extremism, not just in Canada but around the world.
Ask them how they define themselves, however, and “frustrated” is the most common answer.