TORONTO — On Oct. 3 at 12 PM, an approximate one thousand protesters gathered at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. Marking the 27nd Saturday in a row people have protested lockdown orders, enacted by Premier Ford and an extra-parliamentary COVID-19 command table.
Last week, protesters switched from their usual Queens Park gathering place to Yonge-Dundas Square. About a thousand came out the weekend prior and this week was no different.
People come down to these rallies with various motivations, however, they resonated with a common objective: ‘end the emergency orders.’
"End the emergency orders"
Strident speeches delivered at rally
The rally was kicked off with statements from the organizers, including Lamont Daigle from The Line Canada, Chris Sky from MADD, Doug Force from The Myth is Canada as well as a youth contingent part of Project Phoenix.
Youth activists showed up, spoke out
The varied but voluble demography of the anti-lockdown supporters got on the mic and voiced their dissent with the state’s mandate. The young blood of Project Phoenix especially impressed the crowd with their impassioned statements. Many families came out together to express their concerns with the COVID-19 restrictions.
They marched through the streets
After the speeches, protesters embarked on their pilgrimage through the city, weaving around the downtown core before returning to Yonge-Dundas Square. It was a long, taxing walk yet it was one they say they will continue to do each and every Saturday until the restrictions are lifted.
"CBC is fake news"
When the procession passed by the CBC station, they stopped to call out the outlet for failing to cover all sides of the news, chanting “CBC is fake news” before they continued on the trail.
Editor’s Note:
To CBC’s credit, they are normally the only major news outlet present at events. The cameraman (pictured) has been at many of the protests to the extent that he claimed, “That is out of my hands.”
Signs amplify the message
There were many pickets held to the air, reflecting how each person saw the emergency order differently.
“1984 has arrived,” one sign read, citing the Orwellian dystopian novel.
“8 months of life and liberty stolen from us by politicians and their hysteria-promoting accomplices in the media,” read another.
Onlookers had mixed reactions
There were many people on the sidelines in bewilderment of what they were seeing, some with camera in hand capturing their experience. We talked to some angry onlookers that declined to go on the record, however, they were vocal about their disapproval. On the other end of the spectrum, others jumped in and started dancing with the protest.
"I was walking by and this is great to see," Jacob, a passerby said. He cited the open letter to Ford from 38 healthcare workers and said the emergency orders "have to stop."
"Wear a mask! Wear a mask!" a protestor chanted. "They are anti-science and don't they want this [lockdown] to be over!"
"We just came from COVID testing so my kid can go back to school. I guess this is the other side."
Shout out to Rebel News!
We were heartened to see other news organizations present, getting interviews and recording the people’s message. Dave Menzies of Rebel News has been a fixture not only at the rallies but anywhere citizen rights are being challenged.
Submit more content
If you have any images of this event you wish to share, please submit them to collective@inn24.ca so we can post, with credit, or publish anonymously. As always, please join the discussion in our comment section to get INN the heart of it.
⬡
Wiki Production Code: A0194
