The crowd of counter-protestors in front of Lethbridge City Hall have been showing up every Saturday to oppose the views of the yellow vest demonstrators.
Canada’s yellow vest movement has been holding demonstrations across the country, including right here in Lethbridge.
Since the end of November, demonstrators have been gathering outside of city hall with signs, megaphones and some controversial ideas.
The yellow vest protestors held sings with slogans including “no open borders” and “Trudeau for treason.”
For the past four weeks, the protests have been met with counter protesters, who are trying show that Lethbridge is a welcoming community in an attempt to dispute the yellow vest’s anti-immigration claims, which the yellow vest demonstrators deny.
The counter protestors held signs with slogans about Canada welcoming immigrants and some directly addressing the more controversial claims of the yellow vest movement.
Some signs even included quotes from the bible.
Tammy Teneycke, a protestor with the yellow vests, said her involvement in the movement is over concerns with globalization.
“We can’t keep seeding power to the power that be. We don’t even know who they are. Nobody voted for them,” said Teneycke. “We want our sovereignty. We want control of our borders, or nation, our politicians.”
The protests to this point have largely been peaceful, with some arguments and shouting between sides about globalization, immigration and state sponsored media.
On the surface, the yellow vest movement’s main points are protecting Canada’s oil and energy industry and exiting the UN, but it has been associated with conspiracy theories and white supremacists.
Some within the movement believe that Prime minister Justin Trudeau should be investigated for treason.
One viral video from a recent Lethbridge rally shows a woman wearing a “white lives matter” shirt, and describing herself as a “Pan Aryan.”
In France, the yellow vest movement is associated with pro-union and pro workers’ rights. In Canada, however, it has been a movement popular with far-right groups.
One counter protester, Karen Hann, says they shouldn’t be taken at face value.
“There are a few people that are distancing themselves [from claims they are a hate group], but if you look at the yellow vest pages, they are still full of the anti-immigration sentiment, hugely full of anti-Muslim sentiment. It’s just this racist, xenophobic, hateful attitude that’s still pervading their discussion.”
Teneycke says she doesn’t agree with the group’s association with white supremacists, but says she can’t deny anyone their freedom of speech.
“I can’t tell who to wear a vest, who to take it off. It’s a public rally, anyone can come out. It’s free speech for everybody. It doesn’t mean I agree with them.”
The protests for the last few weeks have seen growing numbers on either side, with the counter protestors outnumbering the yellow vest demonstrators each time.
“My great grandfather died in a POW camp because he was one of the first people in the Netherlands to stand up and speak out against the Nazi invasion. That was on my maternal side,” Hann continued. “My paternal grandfather spent four years in Europe fighting the Nazis. There’s Nazis in Lethbridge and I’m standing up against them. If the men that contributed to me being in this world can risk their lives, then I can give up a few Saturdays to come here and say ‘no, this is a welcoming community.’”
The organizers of the counter protest have planned to continue showing up every Saturday until the yellow vest demonstrators stop.
