Faith Goldy

Faith Julia Goldy (born June 8, 1989),[1] also known as Faith Goldy-Bazos,[3] is a Canadian far-right,[lower-alpha 1] white nationalist[4][5] political commentator,[6] associated with the alt-right[lower-alpha 1] and white supremacy.[7] She was a contributor to The Rebel Media and covered the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[8][9][10] Her contract was terminated in 2017 after she participated in a podcast on The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website.[11]

Faith Goldy
Goldy in 2018
Born
Faith Julia Goldy

(1989-06-08) June 8, 1989[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Other namesFaith Goldy-Bazos
EducationHavergal College
Alma mater
OccupationPolitical commentator
Known forFormer reporter for The Rebel Media[2]
AwardsGordon Cressy Student Leadership Award
Websitefaithgoldy.ca

Goldy was a candidate in the 2018 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]

Life and career

Goldy was born on June 8, 1989.[1] She attended Havergal College, a K–12 private school, and studied at Huron College at the University of Western Ontario. She later graduated in politics and history from Trinity College at the University of Toronto, minoring in philosophy, political science and government. She also began a Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance. In 2012, she received the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award from the University of Toronto Alumni Association.[13]

Goldy is of Ukrainian and Greek descent. Goldy is a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.[14][15] She was a director on the board of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation from October 7, 2015, until her resignation on May 30, 2017.[16][17]

Goldy has been employed as a commentator and reporter by media outlets[6] including The Catholic Register, the Toronto Sun, TheBlaze, Bell Media, ZoomerMedia, and the National Post. She is a former reporter with the Sun News Network and was employed by The Rebel Media, a Canadian right-wing media website,[18] where she presented political commentary in regular YouTube videos and a weekly show called On The Hunt with Faith Goldy.[19]

In March 2017, Goldy posted on Twitter a video of herself in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, expressing shock that she could hear an Islamic call to prayer in the city, and saying that "Bethlehem's Christian population has been ethnically cleansed".[20] In June 2017, she broadcast on Rebel Media "White Genocide in Canada?", in she expressed her opinions of the Canadian government's foreign immigration policies with regard to the Third World, and the effect of those policies on the demographic composition of Canadian society. She posited that the European population in the country was being replaced as a result.[21] In response to the broadcast, several corporate entities withdrew their financial support for Rebel Media.[21]

Goldy broadcast a livestream in August 2017 covering the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting the removal of Confederate monuments. Goldy mocked counter-protesters and complained of alleged police bias against the alt-right demonstrators.[9] Goldy's video also recorded the car attack which killed counter-protester Heather Heyer.[22] Rebel Media co-founder Brian Lilley resigned after Goldy's broadcasts were published to the site.[23][24] Goldy was fired by co-founder Ezra Levant after she appeared on The Krypto Report, a podcast on the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer.[25][26] Levant explained that he had directed Goldy not to cover the events in Charlottesville and that her appearance on The Daily Stormer was "just too far".[25][27] Goldy later stated she had made "a poor decision" in consenting to the Stormer interview.[25][26]

In December 2017, Goldy appeared on the alt-right podcast Millennial Woes and recited white supremacist David Lane's slogan, the Fourteen Words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children".[28][29] She stated: "I don't see that as controversial ... We want to survive", when questioned about her use of the saying.[29] As a result of reciting the slogan,[6] crowdfunding site Patreon suspended her account in May 2018[3] and she was subsequently banned from PayPal that July.[30][31] After losing her Patreon account, she began receiving contributions through an alternative crowdfunding system, Freestartr. This platform was itself shut out of PayPal the same month, leaving her unable to receive payments.[30][32][33]

As of August 2018, Goldy's YouTube channel had over 60,000 subscribers.[34]

Views
I do not bathe in tears of white guilt. That does not make me a white supremacist.

I oppose state multiculturalism and affirmative action. That does not make me a racist.

I reject cultural relativism. That does not make me a fascist.

— Goldy, in defense of her coverage of the 2017 Unite the Right rally[9]

Goldy's views have been described as far-right or alt-right,[lower-alpha 1] white nationalist,[4][5] and white supremacist.[7] These views became increasingly public after Goldy turned to Traditionalist Catholicism, following her mother being diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and dying in 2014.[35][36]

Goldy has promoted the white genocide conspiracy theory.[37][38][39] She reportedly linked the topic with the removal of Confederate statues, claiming they were being replaced "because people are being replaced".[40] It has been reported to have significantly raised her profile outlining the "terrible truths of white genocide".[41] Her belief in the subject has resulted in criticism, including a petition to rescind her Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award.[42] GQ labelled her as "one of Canada's most prominent propagandists" of the theory.[29]

According to Winnipeg Free Press columnist Dan Lett, Goldy seemed to be working to provide mainstream respectability to far right demonstrators in the course of her reporting of the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, arguing that they suggested a wider "rising white racial consciousness" in America. Goldy referred to a manifesto by white supremacist Richard Spencer, which Lett described as including "calls to organize states along ethnic and racial divides and celebrat[ing] the superiority of 'White America'", as "robust" and "well thought-out".[4]

On April 8, 2019, Goldy was banned from Facebook, 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.[43]

Municipal politics
Supporters of Faith Goldy protest outside of Corus Quay in September 2018.
Faith Goldy's share of the vote in the 2018 Toronto mayoral election, in each ward

On July 27, 2018, Goldy registered to run for Mayor in the 2018 Toronto election.[44] Her campaign platform included repair and improvement of transportation infrastructure, affordable housing for millennials born in Toronto, the reinstatement of the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) and the Community Contacts Policy, monitoring Islamic organizations, and the forced removal of homeless illegal immigrants from the city.[45] Election totals placed her in third place, with just over 3% of votes cast.[46]

After posing for a photo with Goldy at a political event on September 22, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was repeatedly asked by the opposition New 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."[47][48][49]

Goldy was not invited to the first Toronto mayoral debate held September 24 by Artsvote Toronto. Artsvote said that all candidates were sent and asked to fill out a qualifying form that laid out their platform for the arts and Goldy had not. Goldy briefly walked onto the stage during the debate and complained about the organizers before police escorted her away.[50][51] Goldy was also not invited to the second debate.[52]

Steve King, the Republican U.S. Representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district, endorsed Goldy for Toronto mayor in October 2018.[53] King was widely criticized for this endorsement by members of his own party,[54] including Steve Stivers, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who wrote "we must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms."[55][56] The Washington Examiner called King's endorsement of Goldy "a shameful endorsement of white nationalism."[57][58]

Bell Media declined to air campaign advertisements Goldy had paid for on its channel CP24 during the campaign. Goldy sued, hiring high-profile Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby to represent her, but the Ontario Superior Court dismissed the case and ordered Goldy to pay Bell $43,117.90 in legal fees.[37] Rogers Media also declined to air Goldy's campaign ads on its radio stations.[59]

On April 29, 2019, Toronto's compliance audit committee decided to audit Goldy's campaign expenditures. The complainant argued that a YouTube video she posted on October 25, 2018, soliciting donations for her legal battle against Bell Media, amounted to a request for campaign contributions which may have contravened Ontario law restricting donations to residents of the province.[60] In presenting her written argument for dismissal, Goldy allegedly copied verbatim a text prepared in a different case by Toronto municipal elections lawyer Jack Siegel, which he is on record as saying led him to volunteer his services to the complainant ("because she 'borrowed' my material so effectively, she recruited me to the other side.")[61]

Notes
  1. Sources describing Goldy as far right include: Sources which refer to her as alt-right include:

References
  1. @FaithGoldy (June 8, 2018). "I am so blessed to have y'all in my life! Thank you🙏🏻 God bless each and every one of you & yours‼️ 💪🏻🍁♥️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. As it was then known
  3. Balkissoon, Denise (September 26, 2018). "Faith Goldy doesn't want to be mayor of Toronto". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  4. Lett, Dan (August 19, 2017). "Rebel Media's meltdown and the politics of hate". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  5. Gray, Jeff; Moore, Oliver (October 22, 2018). "Toronto election 2018: Tory handily wins second term as mayor". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. Freiman, Michael (August 1, 2018). "Faith Goldy running for mayor of Toronto". Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  7. Coaston, Jane (October 18, 2018). "Steve King endorses a bona fide white supremacist for Toronto mayor". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  8. Humphreys, Adrian (August 16, 2017). "'That's just racist': Ezra Levant distances The Rebel from alt-right as contributors resign". National Post. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  9. Harper, Tim (August 15, 2017). "Is this the beginning of the end for Canada's Rebel Media?". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  10. Weigel, David (August 13, 2017). "Fear of 'Violent Left' Preceded Events in Charlottesville". PowerPost. Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  11. Sharp, Alastair (August 21, 2017). "Canada's conservative Rebel Media site down after service cut". Reuters. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  12. Harris, Kathleen (April 8, 2019). "Facebook bans Faith Goldy and 'dangerous' alt-right groups". CBC News.
  13. "Four of the 2012 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Awards Recipients from Political Science". University of Toronto. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  14. "Faith Goldy". The Rebel Media. 2017. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017.
  15. Remy, Ruane (April 17, 2015). "Catching up with Youth Speak News alumni". The Catholic Register. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  16. "Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation". CharityDir. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  17. "MASI Will Move to St. Michael's College, Toronto". Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  18. Yang, Jennifer (October 22, 2017). "A Toronto imam was accused of hate-preaching against Jews. But that wasn't the whole story". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
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  20. Malek, Cate (April 16, 2017). "Bethlehem Is Struggling to Protect the Church of the Nativity". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
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  24. "Rebel Media meltdown: Faith Goldy fired as politicians, contributors distance themselves". Postmedia Network. August 18, 2017.
  25. Craig, Sean (August 19, 2017). "A fight over a four-bedroom house: The Rebel Media meltdown and the full recording at the centre of the controversy". Global News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  26. Goldsbie, Jonathan; Gordon, Graeme (August 17, 2017). "Faith Goldy Fired From The Rebel". Canadaland. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  27. Levant, Ezra (August 18, 2017). "Why we had to say goodbye to Faith Goldy". Rebel News. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  28. Hayden, Michael Edison (April 16, 2018). "Ann Coulter retweets white nationalist Charlottesville leader who attacked Trump with Syria conspiracy theory". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
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  30. Sommer, Will (August 21, 2018). "Far Right Fuming After Big Finance Chokes Off Money Flow". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  31. Middleton, Lucy (August 8, 2018). "Thousands back campaign to shut down Tommy Robinson's PayPal account". Metro. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  32. Fisher, Alyssa (July 24, 2018). "Far-Right Organizations Get Banned From PayPal, Beg Followers For Help". Fast Forward. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  33. Barnes, Luke (July 23, 2018). "3 more prominent far-right accounts get de-platformed by PayPal". ThinkProgress. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
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  35. Anna Silman (November 9, 2018). "We Thought We Knew Faith, Until We Didn't: The making of a white-nationalist poster girl". The Cut.
  36. Denise Balkissoon (September 26, 2018). "Faith Goldy doesn't want to be mayor of Toronto". The Globe and Mail.
  37. The Canadian Press staff (December 16, 2018). "Faith Goldy ordered to pay Bell Media more than $43,000 in legal fees". National Post. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  38. "Stop Faith Goldy From Having A Platform At Wilfrid Laurier University". HuffPost. April 20, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  39. "Faith Goldy's talk at Wilfrid Laurier was cancelled. And a damn good thing, too". Toronto Star. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  40. Holt, Jared (October 16, 2017). "Faith Goldy Took Too Many Red Pills". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way.
  41. "Free speech isn't fair. So what?". Maclean's. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  42. Yun, Tom (March 26, 2018). "Open letter petitions U of T to rescind Faith Goldy's student leadership award". The Varsity. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  43. @antihateca (May 16, 2020). "Faith Goldy deleted her first apology, and has decided it's in her best interests to apologize again" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
  44. Beattie, Samantha; Pagliaro, Jennifer (July 27, 2018). "Toronto council hopefuls 'staying the course' despite uncertain election future". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  45. "My Campaign Priorities". Faith For Toronto. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  46. Shum, David (October 22, 2018). "John Tory wins 2nd term as mayor of Toronto". Global News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  47. Rushowy, Kristin (September 26, 2018). "Doug Ford finally names white nationalist Faith Goldy in denouncing hate speech". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  48. "After three days, Doug Ford distances himself from extremist Faith Goldy". The Province. The Canadian Press. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  49. Lamoureux, Mack (September 25, 2018). "Premier Doug Ford Still Won't Disavow White Nationalist Faith Goldy". Vice. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  50. Patton, Jessica (September 24, 2018). "Tory, Keesmaat face off in 1st Toronto mayoral debate, controversial candidate escorted out by police". Global News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  51. Sommer, Will (September 26, 2018). "Rudy Giuliani Photographed With White Nationalist Mayoral Candidate". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
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  53. Petroski, William (October 17, 2018). "Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King endorses white nationalist Canadian politician". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  54. O'Reilly, Andrew (January 10, 2019). "Rep. Steve King slammed by fellow GOP colleagues for 'white supremacist' remark". Fox News. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  55. Pappas, Alex (October 30, 2018). "GOP campaign boss condemns Rep. Steve King: 'Must stand up against white supremacy'". Fox News. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  56. Steve Stivers [@RepSteveStivers] (October 30, 2018). "Congressman Steve King's recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  57. Marchello, Lindsay (October 24, 2018). "Rep. Steve King's white nationalism is a test for the GOP". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  58. Basu, Rekha (October 25, 2018). "Even national Republicans are calling out Steve King. Aren't voters tired of his doublespeak?". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  59. Thiessen, Connie (October 15, 2018). "Rogers Media second broadcaster to ban Faith Goldy election ads". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  60. Nickle, David (April 29, 2019). "Alt-right failed mayoral candidate Faith Goldy will face compliance audit". The Star. Toronto: Toronto Star Newspapers. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  61. "Faith Goldy Pissed Off The Wrong Lawyer". Canadaland Show. May 6, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
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