White nationalists have a right to stage peaceful protest

The city CAO says a group of self-proclaimed white nationalists can hold a rally in Confederation Square on Saturday – like it or not, they have a right to stage a peaceful protest on municipally owned property.

CAO Allan Seabrooke stated in an email to The Examiner that the rally organizer, Kevin Goudreau, is expecting between 20 and 50 people to gather at the public square across the street from City Hall on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Goudreau applied to hold what he calls an anti-Trudeau/antiimmigration rally and Seabrooke wrote that the city can’t deny him a permit to have it in the square.

“Some people - probably most may not like his message, but freedom of speech is protected under the Charter and we are simply following our normal procedures and requirements as we do with any individual,” Seabrooke wrote.

Yet one city councillor says she doesn’t think a permit should have been granted. On Monday at City Hall, Coun. Diane Therrien said she was appalled the rally is happening on city property.

“Staff ’s position is that it’s a peaceful protest – but he (Goudreau) is not a peaceful person,” Therrien said.

In a tweet later in the evening, Therrien referred to Goudreau as a neo-Nazi.

Ann Farquharson, a local lawyer, said she was shocked to find out that the rally is taking place on the same site as the city’s war memorial, where her father’s name is on the Wall of Honour.

She said fallen soldiers fought the Nazis, yet an organizer who’s been called a neo-Nazi is allowed to stage a protest there.

“To me, (the square) is sacred,” she said in an interview. “I think it’s absolutely shocking. Staff should rescind this.”

“It’s not right,” said David Edgerton, who developed the idea for the Wall of Honour. “They (city staff ) should never have given permission.”

Edgerton said the city’s cenotaph committee should have been consulted before permission was granted to rally in the square.

He also said that if more Second World War veterans were still alive and healthy, they’d chase off the rally attendees.

“They’d say, ‘Get away from here,’” Edgerton said.

Coun. Henry Clarke, the chairman of the cenotaph committee, said he was appalled when he first heard about the rally.

Clarke said he insisted the rally attendees go nowhere near the war memorial – and he was told by staff they wouldn’t.

He said city staff told him the rally is only allowed on the open space of the square – their permit specifically excludes use of the area around the war memorial. The organizer would have needed special permission from the cenotaph committee to approach the wall, Clarke said.

He said he wasn’t impressed with the rally’s anti-immigration sentiment.

“They are not a group the represents Peterborough or its values,” he said.

Mayor Daryl Bennett wrote in a letter forwarded to The Examiner that citizens must “stand together against racism and hate.”

The letter was written in response to Cantor Leon Litvack of Beth Israel Synagogue, who wrote to both The Examiner and to Bennett to denounce the rally.

Bennett writes that Canada was built on immigration; to advocate against that is to denounce what built this country.

“City staff received an application for a park rental for a rally. The city is unable to deny an applicant the opportunity to hold a nonviolent rally against immigration policies and the Trudeau government. However, the city has notified the police of the event and they have informed the city that they will monitor the situation,” Bennett wrote.

Meanwhile, Therrien asked fellow councillors on Monday to support local activists who are planning counter-protests.

One of the counter-protests happens Friday from 4 until 6 p.m. at Peterborough Square.

It’s called Chalk Out Hate and people will be invited to come and write positive messages on the sidewalks all around downtown.

Bennett wrote that it’s appropriate for citizens to hold a counterrally to show the city’s compassion and support of diversity.

NOTE: There’s also a statement of unity online that Coun.

Diane Therrien asked fellow councillors and citizens to sign. Visit https://goo.gl/forms/QzsEyXN91SRzVSYq2 JKovach@postmedia.com