RCMP officers stood guard outside a high school in Red Deer, Alta., Tuesday morning as more than 40 demonstrators marched outside the grounds as part of an anti-immigration protest.
The demonstration was staged after a fight last week involving students from Syria who critics say were unfairly spared punishment by school officials.
Stephen Garvey, a member of the anti-immigration group, the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam, said the protest is intended to raise awareness about the need to protect "Canadian culture" in Canadian schools. Garvey is also leader of the National Advancement Party of Canada, a federally registered political party.
"Who we are as a people, as a country, as a heritage, it's all getting pushed aside and if we don't stand up for us as a people, as our country, we're going to lose it," Garvey said. "We welcome people coming to our country, but they have to integrate into our society. It's not about accommodating their values.
It's about standing up for Canadians, our freedoms, our civil rights and our liberties. And some of these cultures that are coming are incompatible with our own."
Grade 11 student Thomas Gower said the protests are unnecessary and have made students feel unsafe.
He stood nearby holding a sign which read, "No more hate, No more fear, Refugees are welcome here."
"There was never really a big issue until this incident. Everybody kept to themselves really," said Gower. "The spreading of misinformation leads to things like this. You shouldn't have to worry about things like this when we're supposed to be a welcoming and accepting school.
"Let's be a little bit more welcoming, why don't we?"
