Anti-maskers and counter-protesters face off at Calgary city hall

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Duelling demonstrations took place on Saturday afternoon, one week after a similar rally in Edmonton where hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters gathered at the legislature grounds.

Anti-racism protesters called out white supremacy as leaders of the anti-mask movement held tiki torches in front of Calgary city hall, reminding some of a deadly 2017 white nationalist torch rally in Charlottesville, Va.

There were about 150 anti-racism demonstrators who went to city hall to counter-protest about 500 anti-maskers who gathered for the “Walk for Freedom” march. Calgary police arrived just before the two crowds could clash, dividing the protests with a line of bikes on the sidewalk between city hall and Macleod Trail S.E.

A poster for the counter-protest said they were standing against “white supremacy, homophobia, xenophobia, islamophobia and transphobia” in addition to “law enforcement and government officials who allow hate to march our streets.”

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Anti-racism advocates were seen holding signs that read “when you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression” and “no torches in my streets.”

On the other side, people were seen with Donald Trump flags and signs that read “unmask the truth,” “facts over fear” and “government reliance on your compliance.”

A handful of these protesters were seen wearing jackets embellished with Canadian Crusaders patches. This group supports “Canadian values” and has expressed Islamophobic views.

Counter-protester Everline Aboka said she attended to speak out against white supremacists and anti-government protesters who are attempting to “divide” Calgarians.

“I’m a diversity and inclusion workshop trainer in Calgary … so my role in this community is to bring people together using empathy. It’s not an easy job. I’m here to protect the work I’m doing in this city to bring people together,” said Aboka.

She said the “freedom” marchers are against “literally everything,” including public health orders, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and racialized and sexually diverse communities.

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“They are holding a Trump flag. Trump is the face of racism. Trump doesn’t love anybody but Trump and people that look like him,” said Aboka. “I know what they are.”

Attendees of the “freedom” march said they were there to protest against mandatory masking, implemented in an effort to curb COVID-19, and “lockdown” measures.

One attendee said he does not believe anti-maskers are racist.

He said they are only protesting the “lockdown.”

“They’ve been told that it’s racist because the people who want to silence us know that’s the best way. They want people to feel guilty about coming to demonstrate,” said Kurtis, who gave only his first name. “They want to stop people who would be otherwise willing to come out from coming out. They want to scare them.”

He said COVID-19 is “not an emergency” and he would know if it was, referencing the Ebola virus.

“When you have an actual emergency, you don’t need to tell people.”

Some attendees of the “freedom” rally — led, in part, by controversial street preacher Artur Pawlowski, who has been fined multiple times for disregarding public health orders — held lit tiki torches.

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In a statement posted to social media Saturday evening, Calgary police said the service does not condone the display of hateful imagery, but it must also consider thresholds set by the Criminal Code with regard to laying charges for incitement of hatred.

“We had officers at the event gathering evidence and we will be liaising with Crown Prosecutions in the coming days,” part of the statement read.

Police also said officers were focused on upholding Charter-protected freedoms and keeping everyone safe given the convergence of “groups from various opposing beliefs.”

Attendees of an anti-lockdown protest at the Edmonton legislature grounds also carried torches last weekend.

Promotional materials for that event included imagery from an August 2017 white nationalist torch rally in Charlottesville, where alt-right and neo-Nazi hate groups demonstrated in support of white nationalism. One person was killed and 19 others were injured when a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters.

In response to the Edmonton protest, Premier Jason Kenney told Postmedia that hate groups, like the Soldiers of Odin and Urban Infidels, must be condemned.

He called on people voicing opposition about public health measures to “disassociate themselves from the extremists who peddle hatred and division.”

— With files from Gavin Young and Darren Makowichuk

alsmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @alanna_smithh