No arrests, but police officers had to intervene Saturday to prevent two opposing protests over a federal government motion from clashing.
Police say about 50 protesters for, and against the motion calling on the federal government to denounce hatred, marched outside Windsor City Hall Saturday afternoon. The two groups were evenly split.
Officers had to quell an altercation near the beginning of the protest, but say the rest of the demonstration was peaceful.
The motion, M-103, asks that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage study ways to end systemic racism and religious discrimination, including Islamophobia. It is not legally binding and does not call for legislative action.
Those against the motion fear it represents the beginning of Sharia Law in Canada. They also fear it will silence critics of Islam and gives Muslims special treatment.
Founder of the Canadian Coalition of Concerned Citizens, which organized Saturday's protests in many cities and towns, George Hallak told BlackburnNews.com "just the fact they single out Islam, I think it's anti-Canadian."
Those who protested in favour of the motion say after a gunman killed six men at a Quebec City mosque, Muslims need protection.
The Coalition helped organize protests in many cities and towns Saturday including Windsor, London and Leamington.
The group that originally organized the counter-protest, Fight Islamophobia, decided to postpone its demonstration Friday. However, many residents decided to make their presence known anyway.
Recently, MPPs in the Ontario legislature approved a similar motion unanimously.
