Hundreds of people supporting immigration gathered at Toronto’s Christie Pits Park on Saturday afternoon in response to a demonstration encouraging mass deportations and nationalism called “Canada First.”
Organizers of the Canada First rally took to social media last month to promote their event, with a poster advertising it for 1 p.m. reading, “Stop mass immigration. Start mass deportations. Remigration is necessary.”
Numerous pro-immigration counter rallies had planned their own community rallies at the park with a start time of noon.
“Bring friends, water, snacks, art supplies and noisemakers and anything else you’ll need to spend an afternoon in the park,” one post promoting the counter-rally read.
In 1933, thousands of people converged at the park for one of Canada’s most notable antisemitic riots and counter-protests that broke after a Nazi-inspired flag with a Swastika was pulled out during a baseball game.
In advance of Saturday’s demonstration, police posted a social media statement saying they were aware of the rally and counter-rallies and had planned to be at the park.
City councillor Dianne Saxe posted a statement on social media last month while the event was in the planning stages, calling it a “hate demonstration.”
“This rally does not represent what we stand for as a city or as Canadians,” Saxe said in her statement, adding that she was appalled at the choice to hold the rally at Christie Pits Park with its storied history.
At the planned start time of the rally, demonstrators carrying Canadian flags marched from Christie Pits onto Bloor St. West, beginning their march across the city.
Dozens of officers lined Bloor St. West to block off portions of the road as the anti-immigration demonstrators marched from the city’s west end to its downtown core.
The counter-ralliers remained at Christie Pits Park, playing drums, chanting, offering face painting and handing out snacks and drinks.
There were a few intense moments when protesters from either side clashed.
Around half-a-dozen mounted police units rode between the opposing groups in the park, positioning themselves at times to keep the crowds apart.
Toronto police said a man was arrested for assault at the protest at around 12:40 p.m. in the area of Christie Pits Park.
In an update half an hour later, police said six people in total had been arrested, with four more arrests being announced on social media later in the afternoon. Police have not immediately provided information about the reason of the arrests.
The demonstration follows on the tail of a march in London, U.K., organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson that drew more than 110,000 people Saturday.
Police say they intend to provide more information on the arrests later.
