Article content

A protest against a hate demonstration planned for Tuesday night was cancelled due to safety concerns, but a community organizer said a broader event against racism is in the works for late September.

Community members originally intended a direct counter to an event publicized by the Edmonton Chapter of Soldiers of Odin, a hate group rooted in the far-right.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'This isn't my city': Edmontonians condemn Soldiers of Odin rally Back to video

The Soldiers announced a Sept. 11 “candlelight vigil” at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre via a Facebook event page titled “Infidels against Islam.” The event was actually held outside the entrance to Commonwealth Stadium.

“We didn’t have adequate time to ensure we had city employee support,” said counter-protest organizer Robbie Kreger-Smith, who immediately reached out to city officials when he heard of the Soldiers of Odin event.

“We want to make sure we don’t take unnecessary risks for the potential of escalation.”