Opponents of the teaching of gender identity in schools and defenders of the rights of LGBTQ + people confronted each other on Wednesday in dozens of cities across Canada. Responding to the invitation of the group 1 Million March 4 Children, thousands of people, welcomed by counter-protesters, denounced the “premature sexualization” of children and their alleged “indoctrination”.
In Montreal, the demonstrators, gathered near the offices of Prime Minister François Legault, were much more numerous than the defenders of the rights of transgender people at the end of the morning. “This information is too big for them. They just know if they are a boy or a girl. When they are in high school, we can talk to them about all this, but now they are too young. Leave them alone! » said Diana Alsk, a mother of four children met in a crowd of a few thousand people.
Around her, many parents were present with their children in a crowd waving flags of Canada and Quebec. “My parents know what is best for me,” read a poster held up by a young girl. “Don’t impose your ideologies on us,” insisted another, while demonstrators opposed, in black and white, the presence of “mixed toilets” in certain schools.
Be yourself without fear
On the other side of a line made up of a few dozen riot police present to prevent excesses, multi-colored flags and others representing transgender people were brandished by a crowd chanting “no room for hatred” repeatedly.
Tension rose on a few occasions between demonstrators from both camps, but without taking the form of physical altercations.
“I don’t want to see kids afraid in the future of being who they are. I don’t want to walk down the street holding my boyfriend’s hand and be afraid someone will attack me. I just want to be free to be myself and exist without the threat of religious hatred or feeling my safety being threatened,” said James Powell, a protester met late in the morning. “Protect trans youth,” read a poster held up by a peaceful crowd. “Love trans kids,” read another.
Around 12:30 p.m., the two groups of protesters began marching in opposite directions. More than a hundred defenders of the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community then traveled several kilometers on different road arteries in the city center, including Saint-Laurent and René-Lévesque boulevards heading west. Police officers on bicycles provided traffic control around this mobilization, which went off without a hitch.
“Let’s shout louder so that no one ignores us,” chanted the demonstrators, who then sounded I will surviveby Gloria Gaynor, before turning onto Guy and Sainte-Catherine streets, retracing their steps, heading east.
At the beginning of the afternoon, the Montreal Police Department did not report any excesses or arrests as part of this demonstration, which was declared over around 2:30 p.m.
In Ottawa, the atmosphere was tense in front of parliament during the passage of Duty. The two groups exchanged middle fingers on either side of Wellington Street. Some demonstrators, dressed in red and displaying a Canadian flag, did not hesitate to cross the police procession to stand only a few centimeters from the defenders of LGBTQ + rights.
More details will follow.