A large demonstration protesting against gender ideology in public schools took place outside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office on Wellington Street in Ottawa on June 24.
A significant number of participants were Muslims, with many carrying signs and chanting, “Leave our kids alone.” Videos of the event were posted on Twitter. The crowd of hundreds of protesters included women of all ages in hijabs along with men and children. At times the diverse crowd yelled, “No more silence.”
One protester carried a sign that read, “Dad/noun, a human male who protects his kids from gender ideology.” Another sign said, “Schools to teach intellectual sciences not to teach gender.” A teenage boy in a yellow shirt carried a sign that said, “They’re our kids, leave them alone.”
A large crowd of protesters in Ottawa gather outside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office in Ottawa on June 24, 2023, to protest against the implementation of gender ideology in schools. Protesters carried signs and chanted, "Leave our kids alone." Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times
Two other signs read, “Believe what you believe, but leave our kids alone,” and “Stop indoctrinating/sexualizing children.”
One man carried a sign that said, “Gender ideology does not belong in schools.”
At one point, protesters were directly under a rainbow flag flying from the window of a government building. A man with a megaphone could be heard saying, “Thank you for coming and thank you for being here. You’re in the right place. You’re doing the right thing. ... We’re all working together now. We all see we have the same opponent.”
Ongoing Protests
Protests have been ongoing for three weeks since the beginning of Pride Month in June, with school walkouts and rallies taking place across the country to protest what parents say is an increased focus on “gender ideology” in schools.
On June 15, dozens of students at an Ottawa secondary school staged a walkout to protest gender ideology they said schools were pushing on students. That crowd was described as having “Muslim, white, and Asian students ... from every ethnicity” who “want to not be indoctrinated.”
The protest occurred after an Ottawa school board email to all staff was leaked that said teachers should call all children by “they/them” pronouns at the start of the next school year until children provide their “preferred” pronouns. The email declared that teachings about LGBT identities should be embedded in the “overall learning environment” and that this would not be “open to debate or selective participation.”
A few days earlier, Muslim families and others had protested against gender ideology at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board headquarters building. And hundreds of protesters gathered in Ottawa on June 9 for a protest organized by Chris Elston, a B.C. father of two girls known as “Billboard Chris” who advocates against gender ideology and attempts by gender clinicians and other to “transition” children to the opposite sex.
The “Education Over Indoctrination” rally saw the Ottawa police shut down Broadview Avenue for a rally consisting of hundreds of protesters holding signs with messages that included “Save Canada,” “Christ Is King,” and “Dad: A human male who protects his kids from gender ideology.”
Mississaugua, Ontario, saw a similar protest on June 24, again with predominantly Muslim protesters joined by Christians and other parents from all backgrounds yelling, “Leave our kids alone.” At that event, one sign said, “Put woke to sleep.”
Calgary Protest With Police Presence
A similar protest with a giant crowd took place in Calgary outside city hall on June 24, prompting Calgary Police to be out in force with dozens of officers forming a line in front of protesters and counter-protesters. Signs there read, “Hands off our kids” and “Every child with gender dysphoria/issues does not need gender change.”
Protesters stood in the crosswalk blocking a city street as motorists honked. Another sign read, “Our kids are a red line,” while another said, “If schools hide, parents can’t guide.” One sign said, “Protecting faith, family, freedom.” Another said, “Keep gender ideology out of schools.”
One sign called for the removal of the rainbow flag from schools, saying that only two flags should be flown, the Canadian Flag and the Alberta flag.
At the Calgary event, counter-protesters were also present, as were Antifa members in black trying to block parents by holding a large white flag in front of them, as the chants of “Leave our kids alone” continued.
A poster for the Calgary event called for people to join in a peaceful protest “to protect family values and protest against the implementation of LGBTQ+ ideology in public school curriculums.”
“Stand together, Muslims, Christians, and people of all faiths and backgrounds to send a unified message that it is time to address our concerns,” said the poster.
Elston has been travelling around North America and Europe wearing a sign that says, “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”
Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.
Marnie Cathcart
Author
Marnie Cathcart is a former news reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.
