Muslims and other parents hold massive protest against gender ideology outside Justin Trudeau’s office in Ottawa

A large demonstration 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 Muslim, many carrying placards chanting, “Leave our children alone.” Videos of the event were posted on Twitter. The crowd of hundreds of the protesters included women of all ages in hijabs, along with men and children. Sometimes the diverse crowd shouted, “No more silence.”

A demonstrator carried a sign that read, “Father / noun, a human male who protects his children from gender ideology.” Another sign said, “Schools to teach intellectual science, not to teach gender.” A teenage boy in a yellow shirt carried a sign that said“They are our children, leave them alone.”

Two other signs read: “Believe what you believe, but leave our children alone,” and “Stop indoctrination/sexualizing children.”

One man carried a sign that read, “Gender ideology has no place in schools.”

At one point, protesters stood directly under one rainbow flag flying out the window of a government building. A man with a megaphone could be heard proverb, “Thank you for coming and thank you for being here. You are in the right place. You’re doing the right thing. … We are all working together now. We all see that we have the same opponent.”

Constant protests

Protests have been underway for three weeks since Pride Month began in June, with school breaks and rallies 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 high school staged a strike to protest the gender ideology they say schools are pressuring students. That crowd was described as “Muslim, white and Asian students… of every ethnicity” who “don’t want to be indoctrinated.”

The protest came after an email from the Ottawa school board was leaked to all staff stating that teachers should call all children with “they/they” pronouns at the start of the next school year until children use their “preferred” pronouns. to report. The email stated that lessons on LGBT identities should be embedded in the “general learning environment” and that this is not “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. And hundreds of protesters gathered in Ottawa on June 9 for a protest organized by Chris Elstona BC father of two girls known as “Billboard Chris” who advocates against gender ideology and attempts by gender clinics and others to “transform” children to the opposite sex.

During the “Education Over Indoctrination” rally, the Ottawa Police Department closed Broadview Avenue to a rally consisting of hundreds of protesters holding placards with messages such as “Save Canada,” “Christ Is King,” and “Dad: A Human Man Who Takes His Children From the gender ideology.”

Mississaugua, Ontario, saw a similar protest on June 24, again with mostly Muslim protesters joined by Christians and other parents of all backgrounds chanting, “Leave our children alone.” At that event, a sign read, “Put awake to sleep.”

Protest in Calgary with police presence

A similar protest with a huge crowd took place in Calgary outside City Hall on June 24, prompting the Calgary Police Department to act tens of officers lining up for demonstrators and counter-demonstrators. Signs there read, “Hands off our children” and “Any child with gender dysphoria/problems does not need gender reassignment.”

Protesters stood at the crosswalk blocking a street in the city as motorists honked their horns. Another sign said, “Our kids are a red line,” while another said, “When schools are in hiding, parents can’t guide.” A sign read: “Protection of Faith, Family, Freedom.” Another said, “Keep gender ideology out of schools.”

A sign called for the rainbow flag to be removed from schools and said only two flags could fly, the Canadian flag and the Alberta flag.

The event in Calgary also saw counter-demonstrators, as well as Antifa members in black who tried to block parents by holding a large white flag in front of them, while chants of “Leave our children alone” continued.

A poster for the Calgary event called for people to join a peaceful protest “to protect family values ​​and protest against the implementation of LGBTQ+ ideology in public school curricula.”

“Stand together, Muslims, Christians and people of all faiths and backgrounds to send a united message that it is time to address our concerns,” the poster read.

Elston has toured North America and Europe with a sign that read, “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.