Faith Goldy | |
|---|---|
 Goldy in 2018 | |
| Born | Faith Julia Goldy (1989-06-08)June 8, 1989 (age 36)[1] Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Other names | Faith Goldy-Bazos |
| Education | Havergal College |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Political commentator |
| Known for | Former reporter forThe Rebel Media[2] |
| Awards | Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award |
| Website | faithgoldy |
Faith Julia Goldy (born June 8, 1989),[1] also known asFaith Goldy-Bazos,[3] is a Canadianfar-right,[a]white nationalist[4][5][6]political commentator,[7] associated with thealt-right.[a] She was a contributor toThe Rebel Media and covered the2017 Unite the Right rally inCharlottesville, Virginia.[8][9][10] Her contract was terminated in 2017 after she participated in a podcast onThe Daily Stormer, aneo-Nazi website.[11]
Goldy was a candidate in the2018 Toronto mayoral election, finishing third with 3.4% of the vote. On April 8, 2019, Goldy was banned from Facebook, along with other "individuals and organizations who spread hate, attack, or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are."[12]
Goldy was born on June 8, 1989[1] and attendedHavergal College, a private K–12all-girls school in Toronto.[13] She attendedTrinity College at theUniversity of Toronto, where she graduated with adouble major in politics and history, with minors in philosophy, political science and government. She also began aMaster of Public Policy degree at theUniversity of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance.
In 2012, she received theGordon Cressy Student Leadership Award from the University of Toronto Alumni Association.[14]
When Goldy was in elementary school, she moved into a duplex with her younger sister and mother. Goldy described her father as abusive in a 2007 radio interview.
Her classmates fromHavergal College toldNew York magazine'sThe Cut that Goldy was a rebellious teenager withleft-wing political opinions. As a student she marched in support oflegalizing marijuana, wrote and performed in a docudrama on therights of sex workers, and presented a science project about different forms ofbirth control.[13] In her senior year in 2007, Goldy performed in a school theatre production ofThe Laramie Project.
Goldy also volunteered for a domestic violence support group called the Women Abuse Council.[13]
Goldy was a director on the board of theMetropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation from October 7, 2015, until her resignation on May 30, 2017.[15][16]
Goldy's media career began when she appeared as a commentator on a commentary show hosted byMichael Coren on theCrossroads Television System.[17]
She became a staff writer forThe Catholic Register in June 2011[18] after completing a mentorship program hosted by the newspaper in 2008–09.[19] Around the same time she began contributing columns to theNational Post and appearing on panels hosted byCorus Entertainment's John Oakley Show.[20]
Goldy's first big public exposure came in September 2012 when she was hired as a reporter with theSun News Network, which lasted until the network went off the air in February 2015.
Her reporting was made from asocial conservative viewpoint that opposedabortion andgun control in Canada. During one segment in 2014, she called onPope Francis toexcommunicateJustin Trudeau, who is aRoman Catholic, for theLiberal Party leader's "extremist" views on abortion.[21] In another segment, Goldy and Coren criticized schools that were openinggender-neutral restrooms fortransgender students.[22]
During this time she also began appearing as a news commentator onCFRB 1010 AM, co-hosted aZoomerMedia show withConrad Black, and briefly returned toThe Catholic Register as a columnist.[20]
When Sun News Network went off the air, Goldy was hired byRebel News, a Canadian right-wing website founded by former Sun News Network ColleaguesEzra Levant andBrian Lilley.[23] She hosted a weekly political commentary show calledOn The Hunt With Faith Goldy.[24]
In 2015, she hostedPaul Joseph Watson on her show and the two falsely claimedMuslim immigrants in Europe had createdno-go areas to enforceSharia law. This has been debunked.[25]
Two days after 27-year-old Alexandre Bissonnettemurdered six people at a Quebec City mosque, Goldy promoted the conspiracy theory that the shooter may have been a Muslim man.[13]
In March 2017, Goldy posted onTwitter a video of herself inBethlehem where she expressed her shock she could hear theIslamic call to prayer in the city, and claimed "Bethlehem's Christian population has been ethnically cleansed."[26] The video was criticized as irresponsible and inflammatory.[17] It was also criticized for not mentioning that Bethlehem's mayor at the time was aPalestinian Catholic woman namedVera Baboun, who has argued policies supporting the expansion ofIsraeli settlements have pushed Christians out of thePalestinian territories.[27][28]
That same month, an episode of her show was titled "More Muslims = More Terrorism" in response tothe Westminster attack in London. During this episode, she interviewedTommy Robinson, another Rebel News contributor and the founder of theEnglish Defense League.[25]
On May 31, 2017, Goldy broadcast on Rebel Media "White Genocide in Canada?", in she claimed Canadians with European ancestry were being replaced with non-Europeans because of Canada's immigration policies. In response to the broadcast, several corporate entities stopped advertising with Rebel Media.[29]
On June 21, 2017, Goldy spoke at a live event in Toronto hosted by Rebel News and called for a "counter-crusade" against Muslims. During her speech, she claimed “this is a holy war for Islam. They’re not just coming for our health care, right? They’re coming to break the cross.”[25] Rebel News posted footage of her speech with the title "It's Crusade O'Clock!"[30] During her time in Rebel News, she was considered a part of thecounter-jihad movement.[31][32]
In August 2017, Goldy broadcast alivestream of theUnite the Right rally inCharlottesville, Virginia that protested theremoval of Confederate monuments. Goldy mocked counter-protesters and complained of alleged police bias against thealt-right demonstrators.[9] Goldy's video also recorded thecar attack which killed counter-protester Heather Heyer.[33]
Rebel Media co-founderBrian Lilley resigned after Goldy's broadcasts were published by the website.[34][35] As Lilley announced his resignation, Goldy called a manifesto bywhite supremacistRichard Spencer as "robust" and "well thought-out".[4]
Goldy was fired by co-founderEzra Levant after she appeared onThe Krypto Report, apodcast on the neo-Nazi websiteThe Daily Stormer.[36][37] Levant said he told Goldy not to cover the Charlottesville rally and said her appearance onThe Daily Stormer was "just too far".[36] Goldy later said theStormer interview was "a poor decision."[36][37]
After her firing, Goldy continued as an activist forfar-right political beliefs. She also began providing commentary exclusively toalt-right andwhite supremacist media outlets.
In December 2017, Goldy appeared on the alt-rightpodcastMillennial Woes and recitedwhite supremacistDavid Lane's slogan, theFourteen Words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children".[38][39] She stated: "I don't see that as controversial... We want to survive" when questioned about her use of the saying.[39]
After reciting the slogan,[7] crowdfunding sitePatreon suspended her account in May 2018[3] and she was banned fromPayPal in July.[40][41] After losing her Patreon account, she began receiving contributions through an alternative crowdfunding system,Freestartr. This platform was shut out of PayPal the same month, leaving her unable to receive payments.[40][42][43]
In a YouTube video posted in April 2018, Goldy praised the writing ofCorneliu Zelea Codreanu, a Romanian politician who founded anultranationalist and violentlyantisemitic organization called theIron Guard, when discussing book recommendations for her followers.
On September 8, 2018, Goldy endorsedThe Turner Diaries on her Twitter account.[44] The book was written by Americanneo-Nazi andNational Alliance founderWilliam Luther Pierce. It tells a fictional story of arace war that spreads across the world and ends with thegenocide of all non-white races. The book is credited with inspiring theOklahoma City Bombing and multiplehate crimes, and is banned in Canada.[45]
On March 2, 2020, a video narrated and written by Goldy forVDARE called for the creation of a "white ethnostate" in the United States.[46] She has appeared onLana Lokteff's programRadio 3Fourteen.[6] She also gave her support to the Greek political partyGolden Dawn, which has been described asneo-fascist and aneo-Nazi group.[13]
Goldy has been out of public life since 2021, stating that "I am a wife, wholly devoted to my private life."[47]
On July 27, 2018, Goldy registered to run for Mayor in the2018 Toronto election.[48] Her campaign platform included monitoring the finances of Toronto's Islamic centres andmosques, puttingillegal immigrants on buses to eitherthe prime minister's residence or a willing jurisdiction, and banning parades that do not welcome the participation of theToronto Police Service.[49][non-primary source needed] Goldy finished a distant third in the race, winning 3.4% of voters.[50]
On hisRebel News show,Ezra Levant said Goldy had gone on a "racist bender" since he fired her and called Goldy's mayoral campaign "a Twitter vanity project" designed to promote herpersonal brand.[51]
After posing for a photo with Goldy at a political event on September 22, Ontario PremierDoug Ford was repeatedly asked by the oppositionNew Democratic Party to denounce Goldy. On September 26 Ford tweeted: "I have been clear. I condemn hate speech, anti-Semitism and racism in all forms—be it from Faith Goldy or anyone else."[52][53][54]
Goldy was not invited to the first Toronto mayoral debate held September 24 by Artsvote Toronto. Artsvote said all candidates were asked to complete a qualifying form explaining their arts platform, which Goldy had not done. Goldy briefly walked onto the stage during the debate and complained about the organizers before police escorted her away.[55][56] Goldy was also not invited to the second debate.[57]
Steve King, the RepublicanU.S. Representative forIowa's 4th congressional district, endorsed Goldy's campaign in October 2018.[58] King was widely criticized for this endorsement by members of his own party.[59]Steve Stivers, chair of theNational Republican Congressional Committee, wrote "we must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms."[60][61] TheWashington Examiner called King's endorsement of Goldy "a shameful endorsement of white nationalism."[62][63]
She also established a close relationship with and was supported by ultra-right anti-Muslim Jews such asLaura Loomer and theJewish Defense League, as she is also a strong supporter ofIsrael.[64]
Bell Media declined to air campaign advertisements Goldy had paid for on its channelCP24 during the campaign. Goldy filed a lawsuit against the company and hired high-profile Toronto lawyerClayton Ruby to represent her.Rogers Media also declined to air Goldy's campaign ads on its radio stations.[65]
TheOntario Superior Court dismissed the case and ordered Goldy to pay Bell $43,117.90 in legal fees. Justice Peter Cananagh wrote in his decision that Goldy should have made her complaint with theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and not the courts.[66]
On April 29, 2019, Toronto's compliance audit committee launched an audit of Goldy's campaign expenditures.[67] The complaint was made by Evan Balgord, the executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network,[68] following a YouTube video Goldy posted on October 25, 2018, that asked “defenders of democracy worldwide” to fund her failed lawsuit against Bell Media. Ontario's Municipal Elections Act says campaign contributors must be Ontario residents.
When Goldy argued for the audit's dismissal, she was accused by Toronto municipal elections lawyer Jack Siegel of copying verbatim an argument he wrote in an unrelated case. Siegel volunteered to represent Balgord, and toldCanadaland that Goldy's "entire public persona is something that I fundamentally oppose" and that "because she 'borrowed' my material so effectively, she recruited me to the other side."[68]
Chartered accountant William Molson, an auditor tasked by the City of Toronto to review Goldy's election expenses, concluded on January 13, 2022, that Goldy had breached election finance laws.[69]
Molson found Goldy had not reported more than $56,000 in campaign donations during the legal fundraising period, and collected an additional $101,118 after the legal window for donations had closed. The audit also found Goldy illegally accepted donations from people who were not Ontario residents, mixed her personal and campaign finances, and did not co-operate with the committee-ordered audit.[70]
Goldy told the committee her accounting errors came from her lack of experience with municipal election campaigns. She promised to refund any illegal donations. She also said she had no desire to return to politics or a media career, and was "wholly devoted to my private life." On February 8, 2022, the committee voted to send the audit to a provincial prosecutor.[70]
Goldy is set to appear in court on seven campaign finance charges on April 12, 2023. Each charge has a maximum penalty of $25,000.[47]
I do not bathe in tears ofwhite guilt. That does not make me a white supremacist.
I opposestate multiculturalism andaffirmative action. That does not make me a racist.
I rejectcultural relativism. That does not make me afascist.
Goldy's views have been described asfar-right,alt-right,[a]white nationalist[4][5][6] andwhite supremacist.[71] Goldy has promoted thewhite genocide conspiracy theory.[66][72][73]
Goldy told the far-right YouTube channelRed Ice "racism is used to pathologize a healthy and natural instinct within people. When anyone tells you you’re a racist or white supremacist, tell them that’s a term of oppression and you do not subscribe to it."[13]
Her beliefs have resulted in criticism, including a petition to rescind herGordon Cressy Student Leadership Award.[74]GQ labelled her as "one of Canada's most prominent propagandists" of the white genocide conspiracy theory.[39]
Anna Silman, a former classmate of Goldy's at Havergal College, wrote inNew York magazine'sThe Cut that Goldy's brand ofWhite supremacy is "destabilizing, confounding, uncanny ... it's concerned with 'optics.' It doesn'twear a hood or wave aswastika. It portends to be relatable and nonthreatening. It says things it doesn't mean; it denies those it does."[13]
On April 8, 2019, Goldy was banned fromFacebook, along with several white nationalists and "individuals and organizations who spread hate, attack, or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are."[12]
In spring 2019, facing legal action by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Goldy formally retracted and apologized for spreading an erroneous claim about the group on Twitter.[75]
| Candidate | Number of votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|
| John Tory (X) | 479,659 | 63.49 |
| Jennifer Keesmaat | 178,193 | 23.59 |
| Faith Goldy | 25,667 | 3.40 |
| Saron Gebresellassi | 15,222 | 2.01 |
| Steven Lam | 5,920 | 0.78 |
| Sarah Climenhaga | 4,765 | 0.63 |
| Kevin Clarke | 3,853 | 0.51 |
| Monowar Hossain | 3,602 | 0.48 |
| Logan Choy | 3,518 | 0.47 |
| Knia Singh | 3,244 | 0.43 |
| Dobrosav Basaric | 2,882 | 0.38 |
| Chris Brosky | 2,782 | 0.37 |
| Jim McMillan | 2,422 | 0.32 |
| Tofazzel Haque | 2,307 | 0.31 |
| Drew Buckingham | 1,971 | 0.26 |
| Mike Gallay | 1,940 | 0.26 |
| Daryl Christoff | 1,751 | 0.23 |
| Gautam Nath | 1,474 | 0.20 |
| Christopher Humphrey | 1,428 | 0.19 |
| Thomas O'Neill | 1,325 | 0.18 |
| D!ONNE Renée | 1,280 | 0.17 |
| Brian Buffey | 1,275 | 0.17 |
| Brian Graff | 1,139 | 0.15 |
| Michael Nicula | 1,048 | 0.14 |
| Andrzej Kardys | 1,035 | 0.14 |
| Joseph Pampena | 773 | 0.10 |
| Jakob Vardy | 757 | 0.10 |
| Kris Langenfeld | 695 | 0.09 |
| James Sears | 680 | 0.09 |
| Chai Kalevar | 615 | 0.08 |
| Jack Weenen | 607 | 0.08 |
| Ion Gelu Vintila | 565 | 0.07 |
| Joseph Osuji | 486 | 0.06 |
| Josh Rachlis | 337 | 0.04 |
| Jim Ruel | 276 | 0.04 |
| Invalid/blank votes | — | |
| Total | ||
| Registered voters/turnout |
As a home for the small but active alt-right sisterhood,Radio 3Fourteen brings together female alt-righters with their followers on social media. Regulars include ... Canadian white nationalists Lauren Southern and Faith Goldy