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William John Beattie (known asJohn Beattie) (born 1941/1942)[1] is aCanadianNeo-Nazi who was the founder and former leader of theCanadian Nazi Party. The establishment of the Canadian Nazi Party, re-named the National Socialist Party in 1967, marked a re-emergence of organizedneo-Nazi activity in Canada that had been dormant since the days ofAdrian Arcand.[2]
Beattie organized a number of rallies in Toronto in the mid-1960s, although few actual Canadian Nazi Party members attended, and none of the rallies resulted in much support for Beattie's cause. One of these rallies on May 30, 1965, resulted in a violent encounter with Jewish activists who disrupted Beattie's rally atAllan Gardens.[3] Beattie later found himself in legal trouble as a result of his rallies, and an exposé article was written in Canadian newsmagazineMaclean's by private investigator John Garrity, who had been hired by theCanadian Jewish Congress to infiltrate Beattie's movement.[1] As a result of a daubing swastikas on the gateposts of prominent Jewish leaders in Toronto, Beattie was sent to prison for six months having been convicted of public mischief.[4] In a 1966Playboy Magazine interview,American Nazi Party founderGeorge Lincoln Rockwell referred to Beattie as leading, "a tremendous and successful movement" in Canada.[5]
After changing the group's name to the National Socialist Party, Beattie created a recorded telephone message line. Among the messages recorded was one that claimed, "that blacks were being manipulated by Jew-communists."[2]
Beattie disbanded the National Socialist Party in 1978. Soon after he and John Ross Taylor co-founded the short-livedBritish People's League. In both 1988 and 1989, Beattie organized "Aryan Fest" parties on his property inMinden, Ontario.[4]
Beattie was to be a key witness forPaul Fromm during theCanadian Human Rights Tribunal concerningHolocaust denierErnst Zündel in 2000. Fromm's organization, theCanadian Association for Free Expression, had intervenor status during the hearings.[clarification needed][6] Fromm claimed that Beattie would testify that the Canadian Nazi Party had been a front created by theCanadian Jewish Congress as a means to enact Section 319 of theCriminal Code:
When it came time for his testimony however, Beattie was unavailable. Although Fromm later claimed that Beattie's absence was as a result of a scheduling conflict, it appears that Beattie was upset by the wording of the press release that referred to him as a "dupe" and "patsy."[8]
Beattie, who has since worked as aparalegal,[9] has re-created theBritish People's League, which claims to promote and protect "our ancient cultural traditions, as a powerful lobby force."[10] Whilst he did host a show for a small time onWTFR He is no longer active in broadcasting. Beattie ran for local office in 2014, as a candidate for deputyreeve ofMinden Hills, Ontario.[4]