Clashes between protesters opposing “gender ideologies” and trans rights defenders across Canada on Wednesday are worrying experts who fear an escalation of violence.
• Also read: [IMAGES] Trans Rights: Clashes in Downtown Montreal
• Also read: Gender ideology in school: demonstration and counter-demonstration on the Hill in Ottawa
“It is definitely worrying because there is aggression towards the counter-demonstrators […] It’s like we’re going back several decades,” laments Line Chamberland, former professor at the Research Chair in Sexual Diversity and Gender Plurality at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
Protests against the teaching of gender ideology in elementary schools broke out across the country on Wednesday, including in Ottawa, Halifax and Vancouver. The movement initiated by “1 Million March 4 Children”, whose supporters include the “Convoy of Truckers 2022”, mentions on its website that it is an event to “protect children”.
Clashes
In Montreal, the gathering, held in front of François Legault’s office, attracted families with more traditional values, particularly from visible minorities.
Two mothers accompanied by their children that Le Journal spoke to said they were there “to protect their children” but also to “give them the chance to live their childhood in innocence.”
“Extremist, right-wing political groups or religious fundamentalist groups have found a way to mobilize the population […] “People believe in conspiracies of all kinds and worry about the safety of their children,” explains Martin Geoffroy, professor of sociology at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit and researcher at CEFIR.
Counter-demonstrators oppose the demonstration against “gender ideologies” in Montreal. Photo Marianne Langlois
To denounce this mindset, many members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community came to oppose it.
“It is important for us to be there to ensure the safety of all queer people in Montreal […] “It is important to convey the message that there are many of us and that it is important that we express our point of view,” said Clara Schoeck, a counter-protester.
After a start to the day that required SPVM intervention, there were numerous clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators. Hateful comments were made and one person walking through the crowd with his Pride flag was booed before the contents of a water bottle were thrown at him.
Photo Marianne Langlois
Clashes broke out in several cities where the marches took place, including Ottawa, where supporters of one side and the other were particularly vocal for more than an hour.
The sea of demonstrators, consisting mainly of parents, but also teenagers and young adults, waved posters that read “No to gender ideology,” “Education, not sexualization,” and “Let our children go.”
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