Parents Protesting Against School ‘Indoctrination’ Appear at NL Premier’s Home

Premier Andrew Furey speaks to the media after his Liberals won a majority government at a press conference at the Delta Hotel in St. John's on March 27, 2021. Paul Daly/The Canadian Press

A large convoy of cars descended on the home of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey to protest what parents allege is an increased promotion of sexual indoctrination in the province’s schools.

In a video posted to Twitter on July 9, one protester states that the group is “bringing the fight” to the premier’s home because “he doesn’t listen to us when we’re at [the] Confederation Building,“ and alleges the government ”sends paid counter-protesters to City Hall.”

The N.L. premier, who is not related to journalist Anthony Furey, did not respond to an inquiry by press time.

The protesters brought a “surprise” convoy with smoke flares, flags, and megaphones.

The protest was organized by Dana Metcalfe, a woman who identifies herself as a media personality and who runs Raven News, described as an “alternative media channel,” and Project Indigo. The video said the demonstration was part of Project Indigo and an attempt to stand up for parental rights and to “save our children.”

“You cannot have our children. We do not stand for SOGI 123. We do not stand for the sexualization of our children. We do not stand for the removal of rights of our parents. And we are not going to stand for this any further,” said an unidentified woman wearing a ball cap outside what was claimed to be the premier’s home. Comments on the video suggested she was possibly Ms. Metcalfe. The premier was not in the video and it was not apparent whether he was home at the time of the protest.

“Project Indigo is on a mission to unify humanity and stand up to free our children from the bondage of indoctrination. Breaking the system designed to sexualize our children. Let kids be kids!” the project’s website says.

It encourages other parents to get involved by starting a parade and downloading images to create flags and stickers to “support the preservation of childhood and innocence.”

Ms. Metcalfe was contacted for comment by The Epoch Times but did not respond by press time.

On July 10, one of the protesters at the premier’s home said he had uploaded the video of the convoy protest to his TikTok account and that it had received 29,000 views, 2,400 likes, 389 comments, and 642 shares.

Pride Month

The demonstration at the premier’s home followed a heavy emphasis on pride celebrations in schools across Canada for the month of June, with many school boards and government officials stating that these events are not optional. Students across the country were absent from school in large numbers, and June 1 specifically was promoted as a walk-out day for families across Canada, against what some parents state is too much emphasis on gender and pride celebrations being promoted in schools.

On June 5, a video was posted to social media showing “pride day” at École St. Matthew’s, an elementary school for kindergarten to grade seven students, in St. John’s, N.L. The school was decorated with rainbow flags, and teachers were dressed up for pride day. One staff member was seen at the door dressed up as a rainbow clown, while another was dressed as a unicorn in rainbow colours.

Children were lined up waving rainbow flags while staff members shouted, “Happy Pride Day” as dance music was played. The school assembly included a drag queen performance. The school did not respond to requests for comment by press time. The school faced backlash on social media, according to Trent Langdon, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association.

“We’ve heard of threats, we’ve heard of very demeaning language, we’ve heard of … accusations,” he told CBC News on June 9.

“We know full well that the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has been dealing with discrimination for centuries,” said Mr. Langdon. “Enough is enough.”

A rally was held in St. John’s on July 9, with signs including, “Leave the kids alone,” “Stop SOGI,” and “Schools are for ‘Education’ not ‘Indoctrination.’”

The Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission issued a statement on June 7, stating that “2SLGBTQIA+ rights are human rights.”

The commission said, “Educating children and youth on their gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation is not only helping them identify themselves in this world, but is also raising awareness of their human rights.”

The statement called a protest planned for June 9 at the Confederation Building as “motivated by exclusivity, hatred, and injustice,” adding that the commission would have staff “in attendance to counter-protest this hatred and stand with 2SLGBTQIA+ members, supporters, and allies.”