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As images of clashing white supremacists and counter-protesters flashed across her phone screen one week ago, Renee Vaugeois thought back to a cold day in front of Edmonton city hall.

In Churchill Square that day, a small group of people aired grievances about — among other things — a motion in the House of Commons condemning Islamophobia after a mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque. A larger counter-protest formed, organized by members of Black Lives Matter. The two sides scuffled, one of the rally-goers was led away in handcuffs, and the sides dispersed after a few hours.

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Compared to the bloody clash in Charlottesville, Va. — with its torches, swastikas and bodies on the pavement — the Edmonton rally wasn’t much. But for Vaugeois, the rage and the hatred were familiar.

“Charlottesville, it just made me sad,” said Vaugeois, who went to observe the Edmonton rally as president of the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, which works to combat hate-motived offences. “Because I know the reality here in Alberta is we do have those sentiments. And the tensions are increasing every time something like this happens.”