Toronto Police have charged a man with assault after a heated exchange between a group protesting U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and a crowd of other activists in front of Toronto City Hall on Saturday.
The incident occurred Saturday as the groups clashed outside city hall. Video of the scuffle shows police officers breaking up a quarrel and arresting a man in a black hooded jacket.
Hundreds of peaceful protesters braved the rain and cold at an anti-Trump gathering at Nathan Phillips Square before marching through downtown streets towards Trump International Hotel and Tower.
Clutching umbrellas and waving signs, their message was one of defiance towards the racism and sexism they say surfaced during the 18-month presidential campaign.
Protesters broke into an impromptu rendition of âO Canadaâ in front of the Trump-branded high-rise. A same-sex couple was spotted snapping wedding photos with the group, which included a number of Americans concerned about the changing political climate south of the border.
âI want to become Canadian because I feel like Canada represents my values more than the U.S. does right now,â Leah Long, a U.S. university professor, told CTV Toronto. âIâm a little scared of the social unrest and worsening tensions between minority Americans.â
Signs reading âTrump scares me more than 9/11 didâ and âBuild a wall around Trumpâ suggest many in Canada have not accepted the New York real estate mogulâs surprise victory more than 10 days after the election.
âI believe that our Canadian values are antithetical to what Donald Trump stands for,â said Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo. âWe are standing for, I hope, inclusivity, anti-racism, anti-misogyny, and anti-climate change denial. All of which were evident in his campaign and are evident in his cabinet as he is picking them.â
A smaller number of Trump supporters were also in attendance, some wearing the now iconic red caps featuring the âMake American Great Againâ slogan. One man held a sign featuring a photo of a smug-looking Trump with the message âStay Saltyâ in front of city hall.
âI think itâs important as a part of democracy to go and state viewpoints that might be contradictory to what the general populace agrees with,â said one pro-Trump demonstrator. âItâs important to get differing ideas so that we can challenge the ones we currently have.â
The Toronto protest follows similar demonstrations in Canada and around the world. Hundreds of protesters snaked their way through downtown Vancouver on Thursday, pumping their fists in the air and chanting âlove trumps hate.â
The backlash against Trumpâs claim to the White House comes as some observers say there has been an uptick in hate crimes that may be inspired by his racially-charged rhetoric during the campaign. Trump has suggest the U.S. should close its borders to Muslims and build a wall to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants, whom he has referred to as ârapistsâ
Anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant graffiti has surfaced in Ottawa and Toronto following Trumpâs election win. Ottawa Police said they caught a man in the act of defacing a Jewish community centre on Saturday.
Commuters on a Toronto streetcar filmed a man yelling racial slurs on Monday, telling one passenger to âGo back to your own country.â He yelled âgo Trumpâ as he exited the streetcar, according to a witness.
With a report from CTV Torontoâs Scott Lightfoot.