Canada First protesters march in Toronto, sing Amazing Grace for Charlie Kirk

The initial separation took place at the north end of the park, where police positioned themselves between the two groups. A large number of officers surrounded the area early in the afternoon as both sides began to assemble.

According to witnesses, the Canada First group later moved over to a different section of the park after the initial standoff. That’s when chants of “Say his name! Charlie Kirk!” and “Mark Carney is a wanker!” broke out. The group, which describes itself as opposing mass immigration and globalist economic policies, also sang Amazing Grace in honor of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September.

Counter-protesters with Community Solidarity TO—a coalition of progressive labour, anti-racist, and community organizations—responded with chants of “No more racists, no more hate.”

“We are sending a clear message that Torontonians reject the scapegoating of immigrants and the Muslim community,” said Andria Babbington, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, according to Globe News Wire. “This group tried to bring their hate to Christie Pits on September 13 and failed. We urge people to come out once again to say that immigrants are welcome here and hate has no place in our city.”

When the Canada First group began to march, it wasn’t just law enforcement who blocked their route. Leftist counter-protesters were there, with police getting between the two groups to prevent direct clashes. After a brief standoff, the group turned around and found another way through a different section of the park.

Marchers continued chanting “Stop funding foreign wars!” and “Mark Carney’s got to go!” before breaking into a spontaneous “Let’s go Blue Jays!” chant as they moved through downtown.

One heated moment unfolded when protesters shouted “Show your face!” at a masked counter-protester who had been flipping them off from behind a police line.

The event ended with comments from organizer Joe Anidjar (X @PuckDaddy93).

“This is about bringing everyone together,” Anidjar said. “For too long they’ve made us fight against each other—different religions, different sex preferences, all this garbage. Divide, divide, divide. But if we came together, we’d be powerful. We’d be strong.”

Anidjar thanked attendees for showing up and said the turnout represented a “turning point” for the movement.

“It’s so hard to get people behind you and beside you to stand with you,” he said. “You don’t understand how grateful I am for each and every one of you guys to be here right now. This is a turning point in our country.”

Closing his speech, Anidjar called on his supporters to “wake up the lions” and continue building momentum for the movement:

“It’s about heart. It’s about the truth. Let’s build this momentum. God bless Canada First, and God bless our people.”

The Canada First march dispersed peacefully shortly after 3 p.m., with a heavy police presence still remaining at the north end of Queen’s Park.