Police said ten people were arrested in Toronto on Saturday evening during an anti-immigration protest that turned violent after clashes with counter-demonstrators, News.Az reports citing the CTV News.
Police said in a post on X that one man was arrested for assault at the protest. Nine others were also arrested, but police have not disclosed the nature of the charges.
Around noon, protesters with the “Canada First Rally” gathered at Christie Pits Park to “Stop mass immigration. Start mass deportations. Remigration is necessary,” according to a social media poster for the event by the rally’s organizers.
However, hundreds of pro-immigration demonstrators also gathered at the location to oppose the anti-immigration protest, chanting, “You will never get your way. Immigrants are here to stay.”
The two groups clashed a short time later, when some anti-immigration protesters reached the park and encountered a larger group of counter-demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Ward 11 Coun. Dianne Saxe called the initial protest a “hate demonstration” in a social media post last month.
“I am also appalled at the absurdity of these individuals choosing Christie Pits Park, with its history of standing against hate.”
She added that the counter-demonstrations show that the “spirit of opposition to nativism, jingoism and racism remains a vibrant part of our ward.”
Saxe was among the pro-immigration demonstrators at the protest, according to another social media post.
“This is our home, and in Toronto, this is how we stand up for those wishing to spread division and hate,” she said.
