Canada First marks 10th rally as counter-protest turnout dwindles in Toronto

Posters appearing to depict organizer Joe Anidjar with arrows through his head surfaced ahead of the group’s 10th official rally.

Scarlett Grace
  |   August 11, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   1 Comment

Saturday, August 8, marked the 10th official Canada First rally, drawing supporters to Queen’s Park for speeches and a march through downtown Toronto.

Throughout the week leading up to the demonstration, posters advertising a counter-protest began appearing around the city. The image featured on the posters appeared to depict Canada First organizer Joe Anidjar with three arrows through his head, an interesting choice of imagery from those preparing to protest a rally they routinely characterize as hateful.

Despite the promotion, the counter-protest appeared to draw only a couple dozen people at most, noticeably fewer than have confronted previous Canada First demonstrations.

The group arrived at Queen’s Park carrying a large “Canada Last” banner, with many participants wearing N95-style masks and carrying signs accusing Canada First supporters of being Nazis. Keffiyehs were also prominent, while chants of “Free Palestine” were shrieked at rally-goers.

After several speeches, Canada First supporters set off on a lengthy march through downtown Toronto. The procession eventually stopped at Yonge-Dundas Square, where participants sang “O Canada” as counter-protesters waiting nearby shouted at them from behind a police line.

Several counter-protesters then followed closely behind the march, continuing to shout accusations of Nazism and pro-Palestine slogans (the irony) as the group made its way back toward Queen’s Park.

Once there, the remaining Canada First supporters and far-left counter-demonstrators squared off in the summer heat, separated by Toronto police officers and a line of police bicycles. Both sides continued trading insults while officers kept the opposing groups apart.

For a movement whose rallies have repeatedly attracted organized opposition in Toronto, Canada First could arguably count its 10th demonstration as a success on numbers alone: this time, its supporters appeared to significantly outnumber those who showed up to oppose them.

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Scarlett Grace

Anti-Discrimination Reporter

Scarlett Grace is a Canadian journalist and musician from Peterborough, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Trent University and has spent over a decade performing live and releasing original music.

In 2022, her involvement in Canada’s freedom movement marked a turning point in her career and public voice. She later joined Rebel News, where she works as an anti-discrimination journalist, reporting extensively on the rise of antisemitism in Canada and the Iranian uprising.

https://twitter.com/ScarlettGrace92

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-08-11 19:40:19 -0400 Flag
    Socialists and Islamists have no answers, just slogans. It doesn’t pay to take their bate.