Police arrest multiple people at opposing immigration demonstrations in Toronto

Hundreds of people supporting immigration gathered at Toronto's Christie Pits Park on Saturday afternoon in response to a demonstration encouraging mass deportations.

Ten people were arrested when a demonstration calling for deportations and an end to mass immigration was met by a counter-demonstration in a Toronto park known as the scene of an historic antisemitic riot.

Hundreds of people supporting immigration gathered at Toronto’s Christie Pits Park on Saturday afternoon in response to a demonstration encouraging mass deportations and nationalism called “Canada First.”

Organizers of the Canada First rally took to social media last month to promote their event, with a poster advertising it for 1 p.m. reading, “Stop mass immigration. Start mass deportations. Remigration is necessary.”

Numerous pro-immigration counter rallies had planned their own community rallies at the park with a start time of noon.

“Bring friends, water, snacks, art supplies and noisemakers and anything else you’ll need to spend an afternoon in the park,” one post promoting the counter-rally read.

In 1933, thousands of people converged at the park for one of Canada’s most notable antisemitic riots and counter-protests that broke after a Nazi-inspired flag with a Swastika was pulled out during a baseball game.

In advance of Saturday’s demonstration, police posted a social media statement saying they were aware of the rally and counter-rallies and had planned to be at the park.

City councillor Dianne Saxe posted a statement on social media last month while the event was in the planning stages, calling it a “hate demonstration.”