Chick-fil-A is coming to Toronto, and not without experiencing its fair share of controversy.
Protesters have planned to rally against the popular chicken restaurant, which is opening a location in downtown Toronto on Friday.
The American company has been in international news cycles for nearly 8 years now, as the company’s owners are culturally conservative Christians who believe in the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman.
The company came under serious fire when it was discovered that their charitable arm made large donations to companies deemed “homophobic” such as the Salvation Army.
Though controversy was widespread, the company did not suffer any decline in profits.
Protests are planned for Friday at 10:30 am, as the chain will commence operation at 709 Yonge St. Organizers intend on rallying all weekend against the “homophobic” company.
Not only are LGBT activists upset, but so are animal rights activists who perceive Chic-Fil-A to be participants in the slaughter of millions upon millions of chickens.
“Oppression can take many forms, and Chick-fil-A’s actions against the LGBTQ and other communities are just one example,” said alleged demonstration organizer Emmett Genser with Liberation TO to the Toronto Sun.
“When a company’s business is to exploit and kill chickens for profit it is founded in a violent ideology. Violence is not always physical, and the politics that Chick-fil-A advocates for is just that.”
The City of Toronto said in a statement that business license application “requirements would not include any information that would bring to light an anti-LGBTQ position unless there were criminal charges laid, as a criminal background check is one of the requirements.”