On Sunday, November 23, the Rebel News Quebec team took to the streets with four security personnel to cover a protest organized by the Antifascist Popular Front in Montreal. The demonstration, titled “Facing the Rise of the Far Right: Popular Resistance,” drew roughly a hundred participants, many wearing keffiyehs and carrying Antifa flags.

According to the group’s Facebook event, the protest was meant to denounce what they describe as an “authoritarian turn” among several Western governments in recent years. Organizers also criticized Quebec Premier François Legault’s “fixation” on secularism in schools and public institutions — a reference to the 17 schools currently under investigation for alleged breaches of Quebec’s secularism law and the debate surrounding public prayer spaces.

The group’s messaging raises the question: for these activists, is conservatism seen as a greater threat than Islamist extremism?

Upon our arrival, Montreal police approached and warned that we could be arrested if we moved toward the protest. Officers said we were permitted to report — but only from the opposite side of the street, where speaking to demonstrators would be nearly impossible.

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We remained on scene at a distance and attempted to engage with participants, though many responded with hostility. When asked to define terms such as “far right” or “fascism,” no one offered a clear explanation. One protester in a chicken mascot suit shouted at our crew.

👀 Demonstration in Montreal against what organizers describe as the ‘RISE of the FAR-RIGHT.’ pic.twitter.com/74lgwoDgpt

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) November 24, 2025

As the march began, we followed behind to document the event. At one point, two men standing on the sidewalk at a distance appeared to spot us and then walked directly toward our team.

Our security personnel intercepted them, after which the two men — one of them recording — became aggressive, shouting insults and attempting to push our security staff as well as my microphone.

They continued following us until the man in a red cap moved toward videographer Guillaume Roy and struck both him and his camera. Security intervened physically, and Guillaume attempted to identify the masked individual, who posed a clear threat to our team.

Montreal police, who were parked nearby, took a complaint from the man in the red cap but refused to take ours. Officers ultimately arrested Guillaume for assault, despite our attempts to show video evidence that the two men had harassed, intimidated, assaulted, and followed us.

This incident highlights, once again, what appears to be a two-tiered approach to policing on the streets of Montreal.

If you recognize the man who assaulted our Rebel News team, please reach out to [email protected].

You can also help us keep safely bringing you these stories by supporting our security costs by making a contribution at StandWithAlexa.com.