Protesters, counter-protesters converge on London school board HQ

Eighty London police officers were deployed to the shuttered-for-the-day Thames Valley District school board headquarters in east London Wednesday morning as more than 1,000 protesters – and counter-protesters – clashed over transgender issues in classrooms.

The at times hostile crowd of people protesting what they call “inclusive and identity-affirming practices” at schools was kept to the south side of Dundas Street while counter-protesters gathered on the north side, directly in front of the school board office.

Separated by a busy Dundas Street, the two sides didn’t engage in physical clashes but a CTV reporter was berated by one anti-trans protester, part of a group whose hostility had been boiling all morning.

“I disagree with s–t like this being shoved down people’s throat,” said one protester who wouldn’t give his name.

Similar protests and counter-protests were held in Chatham, Sarnia and elsewhere across Canada.

Posters created by a group called 1 Million March 4 Children say rally participants were standing together against what they call “gender ideology” in the nation’s schools. Protesters said that children are being exposed to inappropriate content about sexuality and gender identity, and they support the policies requiring parental consent.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union that represents school workers and board staff, had three of its local offices targeted overnight Monday with stickers reading Hands off our kids and Keep gender politics out of our schools. Union officials organized the Wednesday morning counter-protest, even as board employees stayed home.

Mary Henry is a local CUPE official. She expressed frustration with the protesters lashing out.

“I feel a lot of them are misinformed,” she said. “We teach sex education (in school). It’s a little more open than it was but the world has changed.”

Added another local CUPE official, Rebecca Avey: “We all know where we stand. We know we need safe places for students.”

In a statement, Thames Valley District school board officials acknowledged the protests were “challenging and painful” and stated “we do not support the harmful rhetoric and threats of violence used by some demonstrators.”

Added the board: “The safety and well-being of all Thames Valley students and staff will remain our highest priority.”

The 80 police officers were deployed to ensure public safety and keep traffic flowing on the busy east-west street, police spokesperson Const. Matt Dawson said.

“The goal here is to ensure a safe environment for all sides of the protest – not just the protesters but the community as well at large,” he said. “The goal is to make sure everyone can come and voice their opinion.”

No arrests had been made by the mid-morning, Dawson said, adding police wouldn’t tolerate any violence.

Police decided to keep Dundas Street – the main road separating the opposing sides – open throughout the demonstration. “We had a plan in place to deal with a number of situations as they arose,” Dawson said.

Sources say there were significant absences in some schools, including at least one school with up to a third of the student body not in class. The school board said it did not have precise absence numbers.

Last week, the Thames Valley board warned its schools about potential student walkouts Wednesday.

In a memo obtained by The London Free Press, sent to both its elementary and high schools, the Thames Valley board says the potential disruptions “may negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff.”

The warning was in response to the 1 Million March 4 Children promoted by a group called Our Duty Canada that describes itself as “concerned Canadians standing together against gender ideology.”

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