Toronto Police have arrested Canada’s most well-known anti-masker after he allegedly threatened to shoot several people—including, apparently, the leader of Canada’s Republican Party—and then drove at a police officer with his vehicle.
In a press release, police said that Chris Saccoccia was arrested on the evening of May 19. It said the police that they were tipped off to the alleged threats to “shoot a member of the public and elected officials” early Wednesday morning. In the afternoon officers went to Saccoccia’s home to arrest him. Once there, they claim, he attempted to flee the officers in his car. One officer “attempted to block the vehicle” but “the man reversed and then drove directly at the officer, causing him to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.” He then sped away.
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Saccoccia turned himself in on Thursday. He faces three counts of uttering a death threat, one count of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, and one count of dangerous driving. Saccoccia has received numerous tickets and citations for his anti-mask behaviour, but no criminal charges.
Saccoccia is one of Canada’s most well-known anti-maskers. The wealthy son of a Vaughn home developer has conducted numerous stunts connected to the anti-mask movement like a cross-country tour, hosting anti-mask raves, and handing out fake mask exemption cards. He’s been a darling of right-wing media, which has held him up as a spokesperson for the Canadian anti-mask movement.
Recently Saccoccia’s star started to eclipse the bright white north and he began to get attention south of the border, even guest-hosting segments on the popular conspiracy show InfoWars. Multiple members of the anti-mask community have taken to social media to protest his arrest and attack the man who they believe is the reason for the arrests—Rob Carbone, the leader of the Republican Party of Canada. (Not related to the Republican Party of the United States of America.)
Carbone told VICE World News in a text message that “this could go very badly for Chris.”
The Republican Party of Canada is an effort to, well, bring the Republican Party to the Great White North. Carbone was the “leader” of the nascent party, and Saccocia its biggest champion and seeming benefactor. In one bizarre video posted in March Saccoccia claimed the duo was in control of Canada’s banking system because they copyrighted the term “Canada Infrastructure Bank Act (S.C. 2017, c. 20, s. 403).”
In a video posted to Instagram Thursday afternoon, Kelly Anne Farkas (who goes by Kelly Anne Wolfe in the movement), another Canadian anti-mask leader, said that despite his Thursday bail hearing, Saccoccia is still behind bars. In a follow up video she alleged that some of Saccoccia’s charges arise from recorded conversations where he jokingly threatened to kill members of parliament.
Farkas, who has considerable sway in the anti-mask community, turned her attention directly to Carbone and told him repeatedly he was “done.” She called him said an “embarrassment to society” and described him as a “little kitten.” She also alleged he worked with the authorities to nab Saccoccia.
She ended her video with an ominous statement.
“Wait till you see what I do with this piece of shit. So you better run, but you’ll never be able to hide because we’re going to put you in jail where you fucking belong, you fucking pussy.”
VICE World News has reached out to Carbone for further comment and this story will be updated if we hear back.
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