'1 Million March 4 Children': thousands in Canada protest against the imposition of LGBT ideology in schools

Several thousand people gathered this Wednesday in the streets of Canada's big cities to protest against the imposition of LGBT and queer ideology in schools. The event, called "1 Million March 4 Children," was organized by the Hands Off Our Kids association.

Images of parents who want to assert their right to choose their children's education were seen throughout the country. Protesters accused schools of exposing young students to "gender ideology," and asserted that parents have a right to know if their children are questioning their gender identity. This references to the instructions that teachers receive not to inform parents if a student is considering a gender transition.

Counter-protest supported by Trudeau

The march was met with counter-protests organized by Canadian LGBT activists in cities such as Toronto. These groups considers Hands Off Our Kids' message as extremist, violent and homophobic. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supported the backlash against the "1 Million March 4 Children." On X (formerly Twitter), Trudeau condemned the demonstrations. "Let me make one thing very clear: Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia have no place in this country."

Canadian police authorities had to be deployed to separate the two demonstrations. In some Twitter videos you can see some moments of tension between protesters on one side and the other. According to Ottawa Police, at least two people were arrested in this city for carrying signs that "incited hatred" and causing a disturbance.

According to CTV News, the debate over queer ideology in Canadian schools was revived last June. Then, in the province of New Brunswick, authorities legislated to change the way schools are instructed to handle situations with trans students. The legislation requires schools to notify parents and obtain their permission if a student asks to be referred to by a pronoun other than the one assigned at birth. A progressive association registered a lawsuit against the New Brunswick government over this law.

For this reason, Blaine Higgs, the head of the provincial government of New Brunswick, attended the demonstration to greet and convey support to attendees. Several Canadian media outlets accused him of supporting the protesters' supposed anti-LGBT stances. Higgs responded with a message on social media in which he reaffirmed his position defending a safe environment for education.