Arrests, heated exchanges mark rallies for and against teaching LGBTQ rights in schools | CBC News:
September 20, 2023 - "Competing protests sprouted up in cities and communities across Canada on Wednesday, as opposing groups loudly clashed on how schools address issues of gender identity.... Arrests were reported in Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver and also Victoria — where Victoria police advised people to avoid the B.C. legislature amid protests they said had become 'unsafe' and which prompted at least two arrests.
"Earlier Wednesday, Ottawa police said two people were arrested for "inciting hatred" by "displaying hateful material" during a protest in the capital. An arrest was also reported at a protest in Halifax, where several hundred people participated in local protests and counter-protests. Another arrest was reported in Vancouver — where more than 1,000 people were present between the protests and counter-protests on Wednesday — but police did not immediately provide further details.
"Some parents and socially conservative groups are protesting LGBTQ-inclusive education policies in the classroom and in extracurricular settings under the banner of parental rights.... Policies emerging across the country, including in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, that require young people to get parental consent before teachers can use their preferred first names and pronouns are at the heart of these protests. Those opposed to parental consent rules say the policies are a violation of children's rights and that transgender youth should not be outed to their parents by teachers.
"In Ottawa, thousands of people faced off in front of Parliament Hill and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh led a group of counter-protesters down Wellington Street. The street was closed in both directions between Elgin and Bank streets as over 1,000 people gathered for demonstrations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his support for LGBTQ people across Canada, via a statement on X, the former Twitter. 'We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations," wrote Trudeau, who was in New York to speak at the UN Climate Ambition Summit....
- In Hamilton, protesters marched from a local mall toward the headquarters of the local school board. Several hundred people, a total including both those involved in the protest and counter-protest, were present, according to CBC Hamilton.
- The exterior of another school board in London, Ont., was a site where hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters appeared Wednesday.
- In Calgary, police said more than 1,000 people were involved in protests and a fraction of that in related counter-protests, occurring Wednesday.
- In Edmonton, police estimated that 1,200 people were involved in local protests and counter-protests in the provincial capital.
- Saskatchewan's two largest cities saw protests as well, as did several cities in Manitoba.
- In Yukon, dozens of protesters and several hundred counter-protesters stood on opposite sides of a street from one another in downtown Whitehorse on Wednesday.
- In St. John's, Grand Falls-Windsor and Corner Brook, N.L., protesters gathered at government buildings and parking lots. These gatherings saw tears and heated back-and-forth arguments....
- On Prince Edward Island, protesters gathered in downtown Charlottetown, where counter-protesters also made their presence known. A CBC News crew reported seeing a handful of skirmishes during the day's events — including an occasion in which a person was knocked to the ground....
- British Columbia also saw protests and counter-protests in Kamloops and Kelowna, where hundreds of people from both sides met outside the courthouse and city hall, respectively, carrying signs and shouting slogans.
- Protests also occurred in Prince George and Surrey, B.C."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rallies-gender-schools-1.6972606
Thousands gather for dueling protests over gender identity policies on school | CITY News | September 20, 2023:
No comments:
Post a Comment