A recent confrontation in Edmonton has been strongly condemned by local politicians.
A battle broke out between two opposing groups during a reported “white supremacy rally” in Edmonton on Tuesday, September 29th.
According to CTV News, the first protest was organized by a group called “Patriots”.
Anti-racism protesters reportedly appeared at the rally shortly afterwards. At some point it escalated and there was a physical clash between the groups.
In the days following the incident, Alberta politicians used social media to share their thoughts on this controversial rally and its organizers.
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What happened at this “white supremacy rally”?
According to a police report sent to Narcity by Edmonton Police Service spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout, the police were aware of the demonstration and were “present throughout the event”.
The police did not identify the organizers of the group or the general purpose of the gathering.
About 100 people were involved, said Voordenhout. The rally took place in the parking lot at 118 Avenue and 82 Street.
“While the interactions between the participants were mostly verbal, the police had to separate some individuals who were starting to engage in physical confrontations,” the report said.
A 39-year-old man was arrested but later released without charge. No tickets were issued, no one was injured.
CTV News reported that one group chanted “Black Lives Matter” while the other reportedly said “All Lives Matter”.
What do Alberta politicians say about it?
Edmonton’s Mayor Don Iveson went on Twitter on Wednesday September 30th to respond to the situation.
He said, “Racists are NOT patriots and hate speech is NOT acceptable in #YEG. White people who aggressively spit out “all life matter” prove in an inelegant way that the lives of blacks, indigenous peoples and colored people in our society are not yet universally equal. STOP IT.”
Alberta’s Attorney General Kaycee Madu took to the platform to say, “A small group of sad losers held a rally in a parking lot of a grocery store in North, what some have described as a“ white racist rally ” #YEG. ”
He said everyone in Canada has the right to “free speech,” but he said he condemns all forms of bigotry and racism.
Prime Minister Jason Kenney also spoke about the rally at a press conference. He said, “I think it’s unfortunate that we have a small number of weirdos walking around trying to get attention for a hate speech. “
NDP MLA Janis Irwin said she was “sick” of seeing “white racists” walking around her neighborhood.
What do we know about the group behind this rally?
At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation of which particular group organized the apparent white supremacy rally.
However, CBC News reported that a member of the rally was wearing a C3 hat referring to a group called the Canadian Combat Coalition. C3’s Facebook page says they are “against mass immigration, open borders, the New World Order and Sharia”.
Another group called Canadian Infidel posted footage of the rally on their YouTube page. It is titled “Edmonton Communists / Socialists and the Lives of Blacks Peacefully Attacking White Peoples in Edmonton.”
Narcity has approached C3 and Canadian Infidel for a comment and we will update this article when we receive a response.
CTV News reported that members of both sides said at the rally that they do not belong to any particular group. One witness claimed to be a “patriot” while another witness said she came to the rally to fight against “white supremacy”.
While it’s unclear who really organized the group and why they gathered on Tuesday night, it’s clear that some Albertanian politicians just don’t have it.
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