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DUELLING MEGAPHONES: Stephen J. Garvey (right) of the National Citizens Alliance addresses counter-protesters at Burnaby City Hall on Saturday.
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PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
POLITICS
Burnaby protesters greet yellow vests
Far-right movement tries to hold a rally Saturday, fails to get its byelection candidate registered Chris Campbell
ccampbell@burnabynow.com
Chants of “no one is illegal” were heard on the grounds outside Burnaby City Hall on Saturday as a counter-protest was held to disrupt a rally organized by Canada’s yellow vest movement. The yellow vests were outnumbered by the counter-protesters by a wide margin. No more than four yellow vests showed up at
any given time during the rally. The yellow vest movement has been criticized for its far-right views, especially regarding its opposition to immigration. Things got heated at times, with some people getting up close and personal, but the situation remained peaceful. Both sides used megaphones to get their messages out. The yellow vest-affiliated
National Citizens Alliance said in an email on Friday that it was running a candidate named Zachary Johnson in the Burnaby South byelection. Johnson told the crowd his group isn’t anti-immigrant and that they are simply “patriots” who are against such things as “illegal” immigration and the carbon tax. During Johnson’s speech, the crowd started chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear,
immigrants are welcome here.” On Monday, Elections Canada said Johnson had missed the deadline to register as a candidate. One woman on Saturday, Michelle Cole, took off her yellow vest and told the NOW that the crowd “wasn’t interested in a dialogue,” adding that she is against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax. “I just want my children to be able to afford a
home,” Cole said. On hand for the counterprotest was Burnaby’s Alan Dutton, who leads the Canadian Anti-Racism Education and Research Society. Dutton is an expert on extremist groups, and he said he is disturbed by people’s support of the yellow vest movement. “We’ve got these people who are falling prey to this far-right ideology thinking it’s mainstream, and it’s not,” Dutton said. “It’s
hateful, it’s mean and it’s hurting the country.” A yellow vest member asked Dutton if he wants his grandchildren to be able to afford a home, and Dutton responded that while there is a housing crisis, people need to be mindful of the dangerous impact of blaming one ethnic group for it. “Blaming immigrants is not the answer.” – with additional reporting by Jennifer Gauthier
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