Religious extreme right wing trans- & homophobic groups are planning "1 Million March 4 Children" events across Canada on September 20.
Links to the counter protests are at the bottom of the article.
Here's a map of our corner of the world showing events in Bathurst, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax. There are none in PEI or Newf/Lab.
Here's a fact sheet about the 1 Million March, from antihate.ca.
Our community is pushing back with "counter" events: messages of love, diversity and solidarity.
The Fredericton counterprotest organizers say, "We have seen a rise in hate directed at the trans community, especially trans youth. We will be showing our youth that we care about them and will continue to fight for their rights."
Website antihate.ca says that the organization behind "1 Million March 4 Children" is Hands Off Our Kids and is run by conservative religious activists who have made explicit anti-gay and anti-LGBTQ+ statements. A tweet from them last year promised, "We will protect our children from thought control and will ensure their religious freedoms are protected." The organization is run by Kamel El-Cheikh; BC Catholic magazine ran an article about him and the the organization a year ago; here's a link.
It is time to mobilize! We are witnessing a very worrying rise in fascism in Canada.
New Brunswick 2SLGBTQIA+ francophone organization alteracadie.ca says, "It is time to mobilize! We are witnessing a very worrying rise in fascism in Canada. Fascism is an authoritarian political system that promotes the supremacy of one group over others, based on extreme nationalism, the rejection of democracy, and hostility towards groups perceived as different, such as trans people."
Joanna Killen, Saint John City Councillor and on the team for the event in that city, says, "I am thrilled to see this grassroots event carry on into year two. Last year it was a response to an awful day of hate that befell our city like a vicious cloud. The 1 Million March posed a significant threat to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and it was the choice of the community to respond with an event that championed and celebrated the exact opposite sentiment, one of love and acceptance. I’m so amazed by the folks who have come together to bring it back & make it another beautiful day of love & celebration."
Below are the counterprotests that we know about; we'll be updating this article as news comes in.
| Where & When | More Info | |
|---|---|---|
| Bathurst, NB: Location TBA, 8am - 6pm | ||
| Fredericton, NB: Legislative Assembly, 8am - 3pm | ||
| Moncton, NB: location TBA, 8am - 6pm | ||
| Saint John, NB: King's Square, 9am - 5pm | ||
| Halifax, NS: Grand Parade, 7am | Wayves Article | |
| Sydney, NS: CRBM Civic Centre, 10am - 11am | ||
| Click here to add a counterprotest. |
Source pages:
- The full list of "counter" events across Canada is here.
- The map of all "1 Million March 4 Children" events is here.
