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Alec Couros says he was concerned, but not surprised, to see video surface on social media of what appears to be a Canadian Nationalist Party flag being waved at a so-called “freedom rally” in downtown Saskatoon over the weekend.
Couros, an expert in digital citizenship and social media at the University of Regina, says white nationalist and “freedom rally” groups often overlap in the social media channels they use, whether it’s Facebook forums or other websites. White supremacists and white nationalists have also been showing up at such protests in Canada and the United States.
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Saskatoon / 650 CKOM
May 10, 2021 | 4:26 PM
A man holds an upside-down Canadian flag ahead of a rally at Kiwanis Memorial Park on May 9, 2021.
(650 CKOM)
Saskatoon police say they have handed out 18 tickets to people who attended a so-called “freedom rally” in Kiwanis Memorial Park on Sunday.
Police say upon attending the rally, public health officials and police saw more than 100 people congregating and disobeying current public health orders.
Eighteen tickets were handed out to people violating the orders. Police say one additional ticket was issued to a participant who was also involved in a rally in the city on April 24.
In a release, police say those who were ticketed were seen to have varying levels of involvement with the rally.
Author of the article: Duane Bratt
Publishing date: May 09, 2021  â¢Â 6 days ago  â¢Â 5 minute read  â¢Â Supporters gather during a rally against measures taken by government and health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alberta, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The Whistle Stop was shut down by AHS for not following public health rules. Photo by Jason Franson/The Canadian Press
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What a week in Alberta politics! On Apr. 28, Premier Jason Kenney warned against COVID-19 lockdowns. The next day, he reversed himself and introduced some limited measures that simultaneously exempted rural hotspots.
Nevertheless, over the course of the weekend, COVID-19 cases skyrocketed to their highest totals during the 15-month-long pandemic. This led government house leader Jason Nixon to announce on May 2 that the Alberta legislature would be suspended for two weeks.
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Saskatoon city police say they will monitor a “freedom rally” planned for the Vimy Memorial site at Kiwanis Park on Sunday afternoon.
The rally, the fifth large freedom rally-branded event to take place in Saskatoon since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, will feature an appearance from People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, who is scheduled to visit Regina, Saskatoon and Milden over the next three days on his “Mad Max Saskatchewan Tour.”
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