Safety concerns lead to cancellation of planned counter-protest

A protest against a hate demonstration planned for Tuesday night was cancelled due to safety concerns, but a community organizer said a broader event against racism is in the works for late September.

Community members originally intended a direct counter to an event publicized by the Edmonton Chapter of Soldiers of Odin, a hate group rooted in the far-right.

The group announced a Sept. 11 “candlelight vigil” at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre via a Facebook event page.

The event was actually held outside the entrance to Commonwealth Stadium.

“We didn’t have adequate time to ensure we had city employee support,” said counter-protest organizer Robbie Kreger-Smith, who immediately reached out to city officials when he heard of the Soldiers of Odin event.

“We want to make sure we don’t take unnecessary risks for the potential of escalation.”

Instead, Kreger-Smith said he is in conversations with councillors to hold a counter-rally around the end of September to stand up against hate in the city.

City officials say there has been no contact with the Soldiers of Odin and it is not a sanctioned event at the city facility.

A large police presence monitored the Tuesday night event, which attracted more than a dozen Soldiers of Odin supporters and two dozen or so opponents.

Coun. Sarah Hamilton said she is hoping to find a constructive way for communities to respond to these types of demonstrations that keeps residents safe and also don’t amplify the hateful messages.