Adam Zivo
National Post, Feb. 8, 2022
“Were the protesters in Toronto raging bigots? Seemingly not. While the crowds definitely skewed whiter than the rest of the city, there was no shortage of racialized Canadians who seemed completely at ease.”
The Freedom Convoy rolled into Toronto on Saturday, and after attending the protest as an observer, I can say with confidence that the narrative that it represents some kind of victory for white supremacy isn’t true. The Toronto protesters have been misrepresented and unfairly vilified.
I say this as someone who is pro-vaccine and pro-mandate and who disagrees with many of the protesters’ goals and beliefs, but nonetheless values fairness and nuance. The Toronto protest was much smaller and more orderly than its Ottawa counterpart, and so the two should be treated as very separate events — experiences in one city aren’t necessarily transferable to the other.
I’ve attended many protests in my life and this particular one seemed no different than any other. There was dancing, dramatic speeches, free food, clichéd chants, political banners (some reasonable, others not) and lots of wandering families — all of which was to be expected. Absent was the violence and intimidation that some had prophesied.
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