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points made it appear as if he was
bringing others into the movement.

It was not simply a matter of pretending
to be someone else. Some of the racists
Lauder associated with had been
involved in the movement for over a
decade. They would see through a
superficial pretense. Lauder had to
create a sort of mental costume.
Whenever he associated with the racists,
he had to adopt a premeditated thought
structure, one that would reflect a

helps the far right," he explains, "It
creates a sense of solidarity within
the movement. They enjoy playing the
victim."

Incidents such as this may have
helped Lauder with his infiltration, but
they also had the potential to further
confuse his identity. As he devoted
hours to the movement, both in writing
and Seis information technology,

@when Lauder

 
   

sympathetic belief system. "In a covert | ne

operation," he advises, "you really have
to have a certain mindset, and you hay
to keep it consistent." Preparation be
entering their company was essent

Such preparation served Laude
when his commitment to the mé
was inevitably challenged. After
year of infiltration, Lauder wag
confronted in front of eig
members by Marc Lemire, an |
and articulate racist. But Lat
ready for Lemire’s precise line ¢
"| knew that situation was going
up," he says, "I was psych
prepared for his exact question." Lé
successfully turned the tables upe
interrogator, and Lemire left the
flustered.

For all the racists’ latent violenc
Lauder was never forced to defend
himself physically during his infiltration.
Nor was he asked to participate in
violence. As the infiltration progressed,
he was groomed as a movement writer.
His role was to incorporate a progres-
sive approach into organized racism. He
was commissioned to write articles and
columns on acceptable political issues
like free speech and immigration reform
to promote the hidden agenda of
racism, taking care with his language to
avoid Canadian hate-speech laws. It
was a part of his role not to be involved
in violence or any other illegal activity.

Ironically, the one time Lauder almost
got into a physical conflict was when he
and a group of racists were confronted
by angry anti-racist activists. Luckily,
Lauder was able to deal with the
situation without resorting to blows. In
fact, the incident strengthened his
position in the movement. "Violence

  

  
    
  
  

 
  
         

anti-racist activist. "You have
tain that discipline or the projeg
jeopardized," he warns,
difficult."

FOrunatehy, Lauder d

to have contingency p

_the stress
of the unde was getting
the better of Lauder. In his writing, he
describes the entire project as
"physically and psychologically drain-
ing." While he was gaining valuable
information on the movement as well as
insights into the racist mind, he increas-
ingly felt "contaminated by their sense
of hatred and xenophobia." It was time
to end the project, as much for his own
well-being as in accordance to his
original plan. And while all his family
and close friends knew of his work and
supported him, he still felt that as long
as he was involved in the far right,
he was betraying his community. "| have
Jewish relatives," he states, "I have
family members who are gay... These
are individuals which the movement
considers not to have a right to live."
Earlier this year the infiltration was

 
  

 
 
  
  
   
    
 
     
 
  
   
   
 
  
 
   
 

 

tions,"

fully exposed when a widely published
article named him as director of the
anti-racism program at the Guelph and
District Multicultural Centre. The writer
of the article had given him the choice
of being named or remaining anony-
mous. Lauder chose the former to
finally ensure the death of his racist
persona.

For Lauder, the project was a success.
But it was not without its costs. Lauder
realizes that the organized racist move-
ment now identifies him as an enemy
and a target. He has been threatened
both in person and through messages.

      
      
    
       
 

He also admits that his ability to collect

hore information about the movement

Ss been somewhat compromised.
ther infiltration on his part is impos-
? now that he is publicly known as
anti-racist activist. He currently
Inues to work at the Guelph and
ict Multicultural Centre, as well as
ue his graduate studies. However,
feels that infiltration remains an
‘ortant tool in fighting the far right.
think it’s the only way to gain quali-
information on the racialist move-
ent, especially for nonprofit organiza-
he maintains, “It’s important for
us to do our own information-gathering
projects, and then share that with other
agencies, because everybody has to
know what’s going on."

Of all the things Lauder learned during
his immersion, he feels the most impor-
tant is not what makes racists
monstrous, but what makes them
human. After spending so much time in
their presence, Lauder came to the con-
clusion that in order for racists to seri-
ously rethink their beliefs, something
has to occur in their lives. Public scorn
does not have the power of a significant
personal experience. Demonizing :
racists will not encourage them to
change. Turning them into comic book
villains will not make them any easier to
get rid of. "We have to keep in mind that
they’re humans, that they’re people.
They have feelings... They have to
change from inside. They have to
understand that what they’re doing is
not productive, they’re being socially
destructive."

Lene