Protestors, counter-protestors rally at Grande Parade over gender ideology

By CityNews Halifax staff

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Halifax on Wednesday morning as people in cities across Canada took part in the so-called ‘1 Million March 4 Children’.

Chants of “leave our kids alone” were led by a protestor with a megaphone in Grande Parade as the demonstration was aimed at protesting “gender ideology in schools”.

Lots of noise, but so far no conflict between the two groups pic.twitter.com/pSkgGqHbZ9

— Dan Ahlstrand (@danahlstrand) September 20, 2023

A reportedly even larger group of pro-2SLGBTQIA+ counter-protestors, chanting “trans rights are human rights” also gathered in front of City Hall and were separated from the other protestors by a line of Halifax Regional Police officers.

Local politicians have come out against the march, saying there’s no room for hate in Nova Scotia.

“No matter who you are, who you love, or how you identify, Nova Scotians deserve to live without fear and intimidation,” Premier Tim Houston posted to the social media site now known as X. “Our government supports the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and growing safe and inclusive communities across our province.”

No matter who you are, who you love, or how you identify, Nova Scotians deserve to live without fear and intimidation. Our government supports the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and growing safe and inclusive communities across our province.

— Tim Houston (@TimHoustonNS) September 20, 2023

The Halifax government also posted on social media that it was aware of the planned protest and said all are welcome in Halifax.

The protestors marched through downtown Halifax past provincial legislature. Regional police had closed Argyle St. between Sackville and Duke and was asking people to avoid the area.