news Torontonians Drown Out Hate at Anti-Islam Rally

Video coverage from Saturday's rival protests outside City Hall.

A group of anti-Muslim demonstrators found themselves greatly outnumbered by counter demonstrators at their rally at Nathan Phillips Square on the weekend.

The group, “Canadian Coalition of Concerned Citizens,” call themselves “Canadian patriots” who stand against “sharia law and globalization.”

The group strongly opposes M-103, a federal government motion condemning Islamophobia. Protesters insist that, if passed, the motion will put a chill on free speech in Canada. A similar anti-Islamophobia motion received unanimous support at Queen’s Park last week.

The CCCC protest was one of a series of demonstrations organized in cities across Canada on Saturday that attracted various far-right groups and their sympathizers.

The counter protest was organized by the Organizing Committee Against Islamophobia. Toronto Police estimated the crowd at 1,500 people.

Watch our video coverage:

It’s worth noting that, protesters in the video are singing the words of Somali-Canadian artist and refugee K’naan Warsame’s song, “Wavin Flag.” The lyrics of the original version are about the struggle of refugees displaced by war. They probably don’t see the irony in that.



Anti-Islam protesters have apparently adopted as their anthem a song by a Muslim Somali refugee who entered Canada through the States. https://t.co/m05MZr8Ryb — Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) March 4, 2017

Everyone wants to complain about robots putting humans out of work but what about bigots doing the same to satirists? https://t.co/O4IX3b3WcL — K'naan Warsame (@KNAAN) March 4, 2017

Just thought of a chant they could sing: "we want the work, not the force, we want the knowledge, not the source… @canice @goldsbie (cont) https://t.co/CVWSEjLckA — K'naan Warsame (@KNAAN) March 4, 2017

Chant cont'd "we want the fruit, not the tree, let's sing the song! Oh god, don't tell me it's by a Somali refugee" https://t.co/CVWSEjLckA — K'naan Warsame (@KNAAN) March 4, 2017

Photos from the protest:

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