Ku Klux Klan

     “KU KLUX KLAN” is an ultraconservative, secret fraternal organization founded by veterans of the confederate army.

     Ku Klux Klan members believe their works were given to them by God. Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word Kuklos which means a circle with no beginning or end. Klan came from the Scottish word “Clan” referring to a family or a group of believers. KKK in Canada was different in discriminatory acts toward people than from the KKK in the U.S. The Klans in the U.S. were known for going against African-Americans and Jews, but in Canada the group took aim at Catholics in the province, particularly those of Eastern European and French ancestry. Both KKK in Canada and U.S. believed that the purity of the Anglo-Saxon race was being jeopardized by new immigration. Moreover, they thought that by not pursuing prejudicial treatment toward interracial marriages the dark-skinned blood will ruin their superior race.

     Ku Klux Klan members had different traditions and rules. Members of the Klan dressed up in hoods and robes made of bed sheets, representing the ghosts of soldiers that returned from the dead to get revenge on their enemies. In 1920 they chose a flag with a white field upon which was a black cross on a red symbol representing either a flame or a drop of blood this flag is stilled used by many Klan groups today and it can be considered as the official flag and symbol of the Ku Klux Klan. 

     The Klan was considered one of the largest organizations in the province (ON), claiming to have more members than any political party. By 1928, local Klans had been established in more than 100 Saskatchewan communities. Historians have estimated its membership to be around 25,000. This group was banned in 1871 because of violent and outrageous acts against blacks and northerners. Today the group only exists in the form of a number of very isolated, scattered “supporters” that probably are not more than a few thousand. Still their main purpose is to make terrorism and intimidation.