ani islam protest in toronto

Anti-Islam rally meets with counter protest in Toronto

A deeply troubling scene played out on Toronto streets today as self-proclaimed Islamophobic group Rise Canada rallied outside a mosque at Dundas and Chestnut streets.

The small but vocal gathering was said to be in response to MP Iqra Khalid's Motion 103, which calls on the federal government to condemn Islamophobia.

It was difficult to ascertain just how large the group was because a counter protest formed relatively quickly showing solidarity for those targeted by the initial rally.

There didn't appear to be more than 50 people in total, though the sight of a brazen anti-Islam rally elicited both fear and reproach on social media.

According to reports, Toronto Police eventually moved the two groups away from the mosque. Here's how the scene played out earlier this afternoon.

Lead photo by

Robert Cerjanec


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