Man who wore blackface at Toronto anti-racism protest charged with ‘causing a disturbance’

The man, named Deivis Shtembari, 28, is expected to appear in court on July 16 and more charges may follow.

The man had covered his body with black polish and attempted to muster as much attention as he possibly could by walking to the front of the crowd whilst raising his arms.

To the protestors' credit, the scene did not turn violent, despite repeated attempts by Shtembari to antagonize those who had attended the rally.

They did, however, surround Shtembari–calling him racist Trudeau, and one person did throw a water bottle at him. Police were soon at the scene and escorted the man away from the rally.

The footage was widely circulated around social media platforms and even made international headlines.

The Toronto demonstration came after days of US protests following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd on May 25, as well as Regis Korchinski-Paquet who died in Toronto on May 27.

Over the weekend, the Eaton Centre closed as more protests began. Several businesses on Yonge Street have boarded up their windows.