A gathering outside St. Catharines City Hall will be showing support for the people of Charlottesville, Virginia after the white nationalist rally over the weekend.
Tonight's event on Church Street is just one of hundreds planned across the country as Canadians stand in solidarity with the victims of Charlottesville following a violent clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters.
Organizers encourage participants to bring signs and demonstrate in a peaceful and positive way.
The Facebook event page says, "The events of Charlottesville do not exist in a vacuum nor are they confined by American borders; Canada, and all nations of global north, are being infected by far-right, neo-nazi and fascistic movements which are being legitimized via political silence, inaction and misinterpretation of law. " The group also notes that organizations like the Soldiers of Odin are very concerning to members of the public.
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik is in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, but has tweeted his support for the event.
#Charlottesville #standwithCharlottesville pic.twitter.com/ZyoQquiRVY
— Walter Sendzik (@WSendzik) August 15, 2017
Twitter.com/ Walter Sendzik
The event was originally scheduled for tomorrow night, but organizers changed the date to today, August 16th, to avoid any potential rain.
Things are expected to get started around 7 p.m.