Counter-protesting anti-trans protests across Canada
Contre-protester les manifestations anti-trans / anti-gay à travers le Canada
See our post-October 21 counterprotest events calendar
Protest and Counter-Protest Safety
General Safety
The following are universal protest safety tips in our experience. These also appear in most protest / counterprotest guides we’ve seen.
- Travel and attend with a buddy or in groups
- Plan how you’ll get to the counter-protest and back home
- Let people know where you’re going and when you’ll be home
- Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather
- Bring face masks, water, and snacks
- Maintain a safe distance from 1MM4C protestors.
- Do not approach, talk to, or confront people individually.
- If a 1MM4C protestor is provoking you: ignore them and walk away.
- If your counter-protest has designated safety marshalls, let them know if someone is acting aggressively (on either side)
Protest Safety Guides
If you have time to read just one of these, Egale’s 2SLGBTQI Protest Safety Guide is our recommended essential reading.
2SLGBTQI Protest Safety Guide,
Egale Canada
Anti-2SLGBTQI hate in Canada is on the rise in Canada. We see it in the anti-trans policies and policy proposals emerging provincially and federally and in the rising rates of hate crimes, hate speech, and other instances of hate. We also see it in the development of coordinated anti-trans protests in cities across Canada. Many members of 2SLGBTQI and allied communities have joined together to organize and attend counter-protests.
Drawing on the Pride Safety Toolkit developed by Egale Canada and Fierté Canada Pride as well as the Guide for Pride Defenders prepared by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, this resource is designed to help counter-protestors keep themselves and one another as safe as possible.
Guide for Pride Defenders,
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Pride Defenders are the brave people who show up to counter the far-right, using many different tactics.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s better to take one action than freeze up because doing everything feels impossible. With that in mind, we’ve organized this guide into three parts—Before Pride, During Pride, and After Pride—and within each section, we’ve highlighted the one or two points we would suggest prioritizing.
While this guide specifically refers to Pride events and defences, the information can be used to prepare you for many kinds of defences or counters against the far-right.
Thanks to Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Egale Canada, Fierté Canada Pride for the development of these fantastic resources.