Saturday’s rally against multiculturalism may go down as the biggest flop in the history of event planning.
Not only did leading members of two far right-groups fail to show up, the opposition to their ideologies was represented by an estimated 4,000 attendees who chanted, sang and spoke at City Hall.
Slated for a 2 p.m. start time, the rally organized by the World Coalition Against Islam (WCAI) and the Cultural Action Party of Canada (CAP) didn’t even happen. Leaders of those two groups, Joey De Luca and Brad Salzberg, were nowhere to be seen.
When the odd white supremacist made themselves known to the crowd, they were resolutely overwhelmed by chants: “No hate, no fear, Nazis are not welcome here,” “We are many, they are few,” and “Whose streets? Our streets.”
One man walked through the crowd with a sign reading “Canada stop illegal border crossings.” He was met with a counterpoint of “Love not Hate,” chanted by virtually the entire crowd that closed down roads near 12th and Cambie Street.
Another individual hurling racial epithets towards Indigenous people was drowned out by hundreds singing O Canada in his direction.
Placards denouncing Nazism were everywhere, as were signs of unity and tolerance.
“We will keep sending this message loud and clear from Vancouver, for peace and love and respect,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson, one of roughly a dozen speakers at the counterprotest. “Reach out to those who are not there yet, who don’t have that understanding. Reach out with a hand, reach out with respect and love and understanding, don’t reach out with a fist. Don’t lower ourselves to that.”
The Vancouver Police Department had a sizeable presence at City Hall, noting only a “small number” of right-wing attendees was noticed. In a media release, the VPD said “the event was largely peaceful with minimal damage to public property and only a small number of minor disturbances which were handled by the Vancouver Police Department.”
Organizers had groups of people referred to as “peacebearers” surrounding the vicinity to ensure safety. Those same organizers stressed from the get go that violence was to be avoided at all costs, and no incidences occurred while the Courier was in attendance.
By noon, hundreds had convened on the area. The proceedings began in earnest shortly after 1 p.m., kicking off with a First Nations drum circle and welcoming ceremony. By that time, thousands were at City Hall.
“We have come here to share one voice and understand that diversity is a blessing,” said Melanie Point, a member of the Musqueam nation and one of the first speakers Saturday.
Richmond native Edward Liu spoke to his very recent experiences fighting racism in that city. He helped galvanize a counterprotest much like the one in Vancouver when anti-Chinese leaflets were distributed in Richmond in November 2016.
“Today we are here today to show the world that multiculturalism makes us strong and free,” he said. “We’re not surrounded by racists who try to generate hate between cultures, or extremists who try to divide the community by provoking fear and anger. We are surrounded by people who want to join hands to make our community safe and vibrant by promoting racial harmony.”
Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon, who serves as Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism, delivered a message on behalf of Premier John Horgan.
“We reject the values and beliefs of those groups which participate in, and advocate for, hate speech. They have no place in a tolerant and inclusive society,” Kahlon said. “When we are confronted by hate, we have the responsibility to take action and we will continue to stand up for the values shared by the vast majority of British Columbians: which are equality, inclusiveness and unity.”
Even in the face of hate, a pair of Indigenous and Muslim leaders called for calm and dialogue with those opposed to Saturday’s counterprotest. Union of BC Indian Chiefs vice president Bob Chamberlin first addressed the crowd by noting how the diverse make-up of attendees was “good for his heart.”
“We must pray for those that are racist. We must love them and help them come to a place of understanding because somewhere along the way they’ve missed that teaching. I believe every one of us can carry that message to those that hate, to those that don’t see equality,” he said.
Haroon Khan, trustee of Vancouver’s Jamia Masjid mosque, echoed those sentiments. He invited anyone to the West Eighth Avenue mosque to have a meal and exchange ideas.
“The [World Coalition Against Islam], they did not show up today,” he said. “But I’ll tell you this: I have a standing invitation to come and meet me. Meet any of us Muslims and let’s dispel any ignorance that’s there because that’s what we do. We’ll talk and we’ll get it together.”
