Two things were observably true on Wednesday morning in Market Square: a planned demonstration by around 250 people under a banner called “1 Million March 4 Children” where met by a counter-protest three times its size, and there was considerable enmity between those two sides. All told, about a thousand people gathered in the one acre-sized square in front of City Hall but in ideology they were worlds apart.
Let’s set the scene: The people supporting the “1 Million March 4 Children” were gathered at the west side of the City Hall property. They were easy to spot due to the big Canadian flags that a couple of people had, but they were taking it easy waiting for 9 o’clock to roll around, the official start time of their event. To the east, in the space usually taken up by the Market Squared wading pool, were hundreds of counter-protestors, colourfully attired and wearing masks, organizing under the four-word phrase “No Space for Hate.”
For much of the first hour it seemed like both sides would keep to their perspective corners. There was some mingling between the two groups, much of it civil, but it wasn’t too long before there were signs that things could get heated. “No Space for Hate” had organized security and legal observers to make sure any heated debated didn’t erupt into something more physical. Thinking along the same lines, marked and unmarked Guelph Police Services vehicles rolled up on the scene as well.
More people started arriving. I noted one woman who turned her hair into a mohawk coloured in the Canadian flag, I also noted a couple of people wearing orange “Every Child Matters” t-shirts, the colour and tagline that’s come to signify Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous people, especially in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves on the property of old Indian Residential Schools.
I see James Gollinger arguing with someone. Gollinger ran for the Upper Grand District School Board last year and was taking part in the “1 Million March 4 Children” with his two kids. Someone from the “No Space for Hate” was caught aghast that Gollinger would be there with his kids, and that he was standing in Market Square with a man named Chris, who said he identified as a gay man.
“This is about parents having roads to their children, and any information about their children. It’s not up to the schools to keep secrets about the children. It’s up to the schools to teach them math and teach them how to read, not to teach them how to moral upstanding citizens in society,” Chris said.
It was Chris who also drew a straight line from the day’s march to the orange t-shirts. “Remove the race factor from the residential schools, and what happened? The state imposed a set of ideologies on people and took their children. That is what’s happening right now, the state has agreed on a set of ideologies and is imposing that on children,” he said.
“They’re bringing political symbols to school,” Gollinger added. “There a Gay Straight Alliance and that is the only club that I know of that’s actually explicitly supported by the Board of Education. I don’t want to say that they’re inviting bullying, but at the same time, they shouldn’t go to school and act however they act and take a political stance.”
At this point, the speeches on the “No Space for Hate” side were getting started. The wading pool area was packed, and while it was hard to put a number on the total number of people it exceed 500, and perhaps even 600. Around this time, the ranks of the “1 Million March 4 Children” started to swell too and this is when there started to be more friction. A City work truck arrived with signs and so did more police. They were closing Macdonell Street.
Alongside the western edge of the wading pool area you were caught in the cacophony of noise. One man talked about how you’re not allowed to protest in Canada anymore and referred to the fate of the “Freedom Convoy” last year as proof. Another asserted that the 2SLGBTQI+community didn’t want equality, but supremacy.
Elsewhere, the predictable musical choice of “Another Brick in the Wall” couldn’t drown out the cheers and changes of the “No Space For Hate” side, while a man in clear mental distress talked to whoever that was in his eye line about the the contents of an big accordion-style folder he was carrying.
” I’m helping them get it back in line so they can continue on, as the people say, protect our children at all cost,” the man was explaining to no one in particular.
Shortly after 10 it was time for “1 Million March 4 Children” to have their speakers, not that you could really hear what they were saying even if you were standing close. They had simple megaphones versus the sound system that the “No Space For Hate” crew brought. I strained to hear Michael Wassilyn, an independent candidate in the 2019 Federal Election who was more or less a one-issue candidate and that issue was abortion.
“We find no fault in the individual, we don’t hate the person, it’s just the behaviour we will not stand for,” Wassilyn said before he started talking about how Jesus Christ died for our sins. He might have also declared his candidacy for the next federal election, but it’s hard to say because he was being drowned out by hundreds of people chanting, “There’s no space for hate!”
“I’m gonna share my story: when COVID hit three years ago I had to make a decision as a believer in Jesus Christ, either to get serious about my faith or not, so I decided to start living my faith,” said the next man who was Daniel Kelly. He ran last year for the Upper Grand District School Board seat in Minto, Mapleton and Wellington North.
“I refused to take the jab, and that was the beginning of everything changing, even within my family’s life. A few of us decided to run for school board trustee in the Wellington County area, and that was the final thing for my wife. She left me over a year ago. My family’s been – how would you put it? – I haven’t talked to a lot of them.”
“I really wanted to stand up against this,” Kelly added before encouraging the crown to stay active and to bring their concerns directly to school board meetings. “The Bible says we are not fighting against flesh and blood. That’s flesh and blood over there, but we’re not fighting them, we’re fighting a spiritual wickedness in high places and against demonic forces, and that’s why Jesus Christ will win the battle.”
Kelly finished and looked to hand his megaphone to someone else, but the two march organizers were several feet away blowing noise makers at the “No Space For Hate”. Not only were they not drowning out the counter-protestors, they were drowing out their own speakers.
I looked around and saw a sign that said “Stop Classroom Grooming” and there was another sign that said “No SOGI in Schools”, which isn’t even something that’s offered in Ontario schools. It isn’t even education policy, but a series of guidelines meant to promote inclusive environments in school in B.C. and Alberta.
Other signs were even less clear with messages like “Stop Agenda 2030 genocide injections” and “Justice for the Children of Table 39”. One man had a hat that said something about Justin Trudeau in German, but between all that what the “1 Million March 4 Children” was supposed to be about became less and less clear.
By this point, the “1 Million March 4 Children” actually started marching. It was nearly 11 o’clock and they began their long walk to College Avenue and back. One person’s speaker from the “No Space For Hate” gang serenaded them out with “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In the same space for two-and-a-half-hours things remained peaceful aside from some raised voices and raised tempers. Some of the counter-protestors remained in the Square to await the marchers’ return, others left to form welcoming parties at key points along the very long route for the “1 Million March 4 Children”. For all intents and purposes though,, it was over.
Meanwhile, voices of dissent about the “1 Million March 4 Children” had started to come in from those who weren’t there.
“Ontario Greens strongly condemn the anti-2SLGBTQ+ protests taking place across the country today,” said Green Party of Ontario leader and Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner in a statement.
“These protests do harm and have nothing to do with protecting our kids. Any event, person or messaging that frames the exploration of gender and sexuality as deviant, explicit or morally wrong only puts our kids in harm’s way. Right now, it’s more important than ever that we show up as allies for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and take whatever action we can to protect our kids from hate, discrimination and bullying.”
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield shared a social post with a picture taken from out his window at his Ottawa office. “It is good to see a large group gathering outside my Ottawa office on the lawn of the Supreme Court to stand up for LGBTQ rights in schools,” he said.
On Thursday night, Mayor Cam Guthrie posted a social media statement saying that he was initially reticent about commenting on the situation, but watching the protests unfold and reading the media coverage changed his mind.
“Discrimination and bullying tactics against ANYONE is not welcome – ANYWHERE. We are a city that won’t and shouldn’t tolerate it. ALL are welcome and ALL should be accepted no matter who they are, how they identify or what they believe,” Guthrie said. “Let us choose kindness and choose to love others. Let us express that love and kindness through our words and actions. It’ll make each of us a better human being and in turn create an even better city!”
In terms of the educators themselves, both local school board released statements Wednesday in response to all the protests, and they were decidedly on the side of the hundreds of counter-protestors.
“The UGDSB stands in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We will not tolerate hate directed at the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and other oppressed groups,” read a combined statement from board chair Ralf Mesenbrink and Director of Education Peter Sovran. “We want to condemn any non-peaceful, violent or aggressive actions of some of the protesters witnessed on UGDSB grounds today. We will not tolerate this behaviour, or any behaviour meant to intimidate our students, staff and school communities.”
The Wellington Catholic District School Board shared similar sentiments.
“Our ongoing work on equity and inclusion is aligned with our faith teachings. We want all students and staff to feel safe, valued, and respected in our schools. We will not tolerate hate or discrimination that targets students or staff in our schools and will continue to promote safe spaces that welcomes and accepts all students, regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” the board statement read.
Messages of inclusiveness extended to educational institutions beyond the public school system.
“I know that many of our queer, transgender and gender-diverse students, faculty and staff are experiencing fear and anger about these transphobic and homophobic demonstrations,” said University of Guelph President Dr. Charlotte Yates in a statement. “We share these very real concerns and want to make it clear that we stand with students, faculty and staff of all genders, gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations.
“Hatred and discrimination have no place in our community, and U of G unequivocally denounces any actions that perpetuate them,” Yates added. “To our queer and transgender community: we offer our unwavering support and remain committed to the values of equity, diversity and inclusion to ensure our campuses and classrooms are safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for you.”
UPDATED Thursday September 21, 10:30 pm with the social media statement from Mayor Cam Guthrie.
Guelph Politico 