Protestors gathered outside St. Catharines' MP office once again.
Protestors held signs emblazoned with 'Trudeau Must Go!! Save Canada. No Globalism' while across the street the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition staged a counter protest, holding aloft bright signs reading 'Make Niagara Bigot Free.'
The scene is a familiar one; on January 2nd, the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition marched the sidewalks in front of MP Chris Bittle's office chanting 'No hate, no fear' as a group of about 4 protestors held signs saying 'Jail ISIS Fighters.' Although the signs seemed innocuous, Founder of the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition Karrie Porter told CKTB, "We call this dog whistle politics - it's stirring up fear and hatred with a certain message that seems benign but there's really something behind it."
This time around, the protesters, self identifying as Suffragettes Against Silence, stood at about 10 people while the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition was joined by the Seafarers International Union of Canada.
MP Chris Bittle lent his support to the counter protesters. "I give credit to the Niagara Anti-Racism Coalition and Seafarers International Union. They're out front, there's about 50 of them and it really shows what Niagara stands for, and that's for love and welcoming." Bittle continues to face death threats on social media after calling participants in the first protest anti-immigration 'white supremacists.'
Porter was once again standing on the front lines. "We have a few local bigots who live in St. Catharines, and they're trying to organize and they've invited a couple guests speakers from hate groups to come and speak in St. Catharines," she told CKTB News while standing outside in the cold. "The local organizers here post terrible things on social media about Muslims and immigrants. We are very very concerned about the spread of hatred. Hate crimes across the country are on the rise. Antisemitism and Islamophobia is on the rise, so we are here to let these people know that their hate is not welcome. Every time the bigots show up we are going to show up with much larger numbers."
Bittle echoes her concerns, "Their message is to ban Islam. I've come across posts calling for assassinations of elected Canadian members of parliament because they're Muslim. They're a troubled group to put it mildly. "
Member of the SAS group, Duke Willis, shared why he was out protesting:
"I've been watching what's going on here in Canada for over a year now, and on numerous different perspectives and issues, our federal government has repeatedly taken its own mandate on things. Rather than observing and maintaining the oath of office they took to preserve Canada, respect and enforce our Canadian laws. In January, myself and two friends came out here to protest Mr. Bittle's office, regarding the lack of leadership involving returning ISIS fighters to Canada. The government does not represent the people. The government represents special interest. In this case a 3% of the population, special interest. The city of Toronto has implemented a Muslim only intern hiring policy. That is blatant government racism against 97% of the population that's not Muslim. If the government had implemented an only hiring white with blonde hair and blue eye policy, every other person in this province would be screaming until their lungs were bleeding. But when it's ok to hire only Muslims, nobody says a damn word. This is just one small example of the treason and treachery that's going on within our governments"
The City of Toronto does not have an all encompassing Muslim only hiring practice for interns, with the offical policy stating 'The City of Toronto is committed to fostering a positive and progressive workplace culture with a workforce that is representative of the citizens it serves. Applications from women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minority group members are encouraged.'
Toronto Council did officially support a Muslim Youth Fellowship internship program back in October. The program places about a dozen part time interns at city councillor's offices. Organizers say they hope to increase participation in civic engagement among Muslim youth. The program follows in the footsteps of similar programs for Indigenous youth and young women. The City has also announced plans to invest in a Black Youth Leadership program.
In November, the Toronto Star reported there was not one Muslim councillor at City Hall.
Both sides say they will be out again, with rallies planned for February 23rd.