Jeremy MacKenzie, leader of online group ‘Diagolon’, arrested in Nova Scotia, RCMP say

OTTAWA-

Jeremy MacKenzie, the founder of the online group « Diagolon, » was arrested Wednesday in Nova Scotia on charges related to an assault allegation in Saskatchewan last year.

Nova Scotia RCMP say he was arrested in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, on a Canada-wide warrant related to charges laid by the Mounted Police in Saskatchewan in July.

“MacKenzie will be remanded in custody as part of the legal process related to his warrant for his arrest,” said Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall wrote in an emailed statement.

Saskatchewan RCMP said this summer he was charged with assault, pointing a firearm, mischief and negligent use of a restricted weapon after receiving a report in March of this year regarding an alleged assault near Viscount, Saskatchewan in November 2021.

The 36-year-old was also charged in his home province of Nova Scotia with 13 firearms offenses after a police search in January.

MacKenzie was charged with harassment and intimidation in March as part of an anti-mask protest outside the home of Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang.

On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked the RCMP to investigate MacKenzie after he spoke of sexually assaulting Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, during a weekend live stream.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 28, 2022.