A Vancouver antifa group organized an “Elbows Up” protest outside of the U.S. Consulate on Monday.
The demonstration saw at least one counter-protestor show up wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and advocating for Canada to become the “51st state”–a controversial suggestion made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The event, which took place outside the U.S. Consulate General Vancouver, ran from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and was designed as “an opportunity for Vancouverites to connect with others in a shared space.”
“It’s an open invitation for those who wish to be part of the nationwide movement to attend and show their support,” wrote Vancouver Against Fascism on its website before the event.
That “open invitation” appeared somewhat less open to at least one pro-Trump counter-protestor, who was shouted down by attendees before being led away by police.
“We have a prime minister who nobody even elected,” the counter-protestor—equipped with a large Trump flag—said in explaining why he felt compelled to show up at the gathering.
“He doesn’t believe in our system of government!” rebuked one of the protestors in return before cheering on police as they led the counter-protestor down the sidewalk and away from the larger group.
Aside from the confrontation between protestors and the one notable counter-protestor, the demonstration was largely uneventful.
However, the event came to an abrupt end when it was overtaken by a seemingly unrelated pro-Palestine protest as well as disruptions by the local homeless population.
Vancouver Police Department officers on the scene told True North the homeless individual was known to them, had a long history of drug offences and that their behaviour wasn’t entirely out of the norm.
A follow-up event has been scheduled for Apr. 5 at the same location.