By Wallis Snowdo, CBC News |
RCMP officers stood guard outside a high school in Red Deer, Alta., Tuesday morning as more than 40 demonstrators staged an anti-immigration protest in the parking lot across the street.
By Wallis Snowdo, CBC News |
RCMP officers stood guard outside a high school in Red Deer, Alta., Tuesday morning as more than 40 demonstrators staged an anti-immigration protest in the parking lot across the street.
The demonstration was staged after two fights last week that involved students from Syria, who critics claim were not as harshly punished as other students who took part.
In a statement posted Friday, school officials said the brawls resulted in the suspension of all eight students involved, and they rejected social media claims that Syrian students were less harshly disciplined.
Stephen Garvey, a member of the anti-immigration group Worldwide Coalition Against Islam, said the intent of the protest was to raise awareness about the need to protect “Canadian culture” in schools. Garvey is also the leader of the National Advancement Party of Canada, a federally registered political party.
“Who we are as a people, as a country, as a heritage, it’s all getting pushed aside, and if we don’t stand up for us as a people, as our country, we’re going to lose it,” Garvey said. “We welcome people coming to our country, but they have to integrate into our society. It’s not about accommodating their values.
“It’s about standing up for Canadians, our freedoms, our civil rights and our liberties. And some of these cultures that are coming are incompatible with our own,” Garvey said.
Grade 11 student Thomas Gower said the protests are unnecessary and have made students feel unsafe. He stood nearby holding a sign that read, “No More Hate, No More Fear, Refugees are Welcome Here.”