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“Freedom” Fighters vs Antifaux: Not the Heroes We Need or Deserve

Feb 1, 2023

A couple of weeks ago, self-styled “King” Nico– a controversial figure who has spent the past several months coordinating protests at drag events across Ontario– tweeted his intention to protest drag shows scheduled at the Rec Room in Toronto on January 29. Two shows were scheduled that day, one from 10-12 and another between 1-3 in the afternoon.

I showed up at 9:45 am. The weather was terrible, with heavy snowfall that turned into slush as soon as it hit the sidewalk. At first, it didn’t seem like anyone was prepared to tackle the inclement weather to spend Sunday shouting at strangers, but things would soon change.

The first sign of forces mobilizing came when I spotted antifaux activist Catherine Crockett’s red hatchback driving up and down Bremner Boulevard. I did not see Crockett or anyone else get out of the car, though it would have been hard to pull over, given there is no parking in front of the Rec Room. The same vehicle shuttled antifaux counter-protesters to other recent drag events, including Hamilton (where Josh Chernofsky handed out flyers “warning” others about me) and Peterborough (where Crockett herself carried a defamatory sign directed at me).

A few minutes later, I saw an older woman who used to march with the “freedom” group at Queen’s Park but has since shifted her focus to individual action. Recognizing me from my coverage of the weekly rallies, she walked up to express her frustration at egotistical and narcissistic people who she perceives are diverting attention from the cause. Specifically, she mentioned the division at Queen’s Park, where the crowd has now splintered into rival factions running competing events. She told me that she now works alone and uses bylaws and the Better Business Bureau to achieve small results, such as pressing a business that had initially refused to honor her mask exemption into accommodating her.

She told me she spoke on the phone with a manager at the Rec Room to inquire about the content of the drag show but felt they were dismissive and did not answer her questions. Her concerns centered on the issue of children being exposed to sexually explicit material; she believed that a drag performer in Coquitlam had used a penis-shaped microphone during a storytime appearance, but I have not found any references to substantiate this claim (RIP my browser history).

Because she lives in the community, she showed up to take note of how many police officers were in attendance and asked them what their purpose was for being there. I watched her cross the street and approach the officers standing by their cruisers, asking for their badge numbers. One of the cops initially refused to identify himself, contrary to the law, prompting her to consider making a formal complaint. She went home soon after speaking to the police.

At least four police cruisers had gathered by then; there were more cops than protesters and counter-protesters combined. Shortly afterward, a handful of masked counter-protesters appeared, congregating by the Rec Room door. I wasn’t entirely sure these were counter-protesters, though they were masked and dressed in black, and one wore rainbow gloves. It was too snowy to see and impossible to hear what they were saying.

Counter-protesters or not, their presence seemed to startle a child attempting to enter the restaurant. The young boy ran back to his grownup and another child, perhaps thinking the group was blocking the entrance. One of the counter-protesters gestured to the adult and kids to enter the restaurant— a bit presumptuous and not welcoming.

At this point, I left. I was cold and hungry, so I went for koobideh nearby Shatter Abbas. It was nice to have some spice after spending a weekend in Bracebridge with mild cuisine. At around 1:20 pm, I swung back for a second look.

By this time, King Nico, Chrystal Peters, and a handful of other protesters were in attendance and engaging with the same counter-protesters who had arrived earlier. They were arguing about the reversibility of puberty blockers and detransitioning. Peters was doing much of the shouting from a giant megaphone, overkill given the small number of gatherers. Police eventually left the vestibule in front of the restaurant to create distance between the groups.

As someone with a humanities background, I opt out of engaging in such arguments because I am not equipped to comment or respond to science-based claims—this has been my approach to vaccine matters, as well. I prefer to reflect and reach conclusions in a less-charged environment. In today’s world, too many people fancy themselves “experts” despite a lack of foundational knowledge, which makes it hard to have meaningful, evidence-based conversations. Even though a world of information and fact-checking is at our fingertips, there is a shortage of critical thinking, especially on controversial subjects. There is a trend towards being reflexive rather than thoughtful.

And so, I stayed in the car while my cameraman went out to get some footage. Having been personally targeted at the last few rallies and coming off a weekend of everyday activities with no drama, I was content to sit this one out.

Later that afternoon, I checked Facebook and Instagram and saw video streams uploaded by protesters that captured what happened after I left. The footage revealed that at least a few anti-faux counter-protesters had shown up: Gisela McKay, Jesse Allan (“Gru”), and Josh Chernofsky were among them. My cameraman has been assaulted or threatened with assault by each of these three individuals.

Movement Defence Committee "Legal Observer" Gisela McKay outside the Rec Room
Screenshot via Chrystal Peters on Facebook
Housing activist "Gru" standing outside the Rec Room
Screenshot via Chrystal Peters on Facebook
Former (?) Proud Boy Josh Chernofsky standing outside the Rec Room, holding an umbrella
Screenshot via Chrystal Peters on Facebook

The risk of physical violence perpetrated at public demonstrations is real and concerning. It is rare for us to have physical encounters with “freedom” people. A few violent incidents have been caught on camera, but once the culprits are named and shamed, they tend to behave themselves in the future. This seems to have a deterring effect overall. Conversely, encounters with antifaux have made us feel threatened and worried about our physical safety, a situation further compounded by their penchant for disguises and antagonistic calls on social media to “ice out” journalists at rallies.

The counter-protesters outside the Rec Room were primarily dressed in black and wore masks and sunglasses to disguise their appearance. The presence of these individuals wielding large, long-poled umbrellas that could conceivably be used as weapons if the situation escalated made for a menacing spectacle. They either coordinated bringing large black umbrellas, or someone brought them for distribution because they all seemed to have one. The umbrellas were open and shielding counter-protester faces while establishing an impassable physical barrier.

My mind jumped to an incident in December 2022 involving former (?) Proud Boy Josh Chernofsky, who was inexplicably carrying an oversized black umbrella on a sunny day. He aggressively chased my cameraman down the street with it, screaming obscenities.

I also thought of an article published on an anarchist website after the rally outside the Brockville Public Library. The article advocated for aggressive black bloc tactics such as carrying flags, banners with metal poles, and umbrellas to protests to prevent “bad actors from filming” and “physically control a good amount of space.” Although not explicitly spelled out, someone reading the piece might infer that the metal poles and sharp-tipped umbrellas could serve other purposes.

Article "Far-Right Drowned Out By Brockville Community in Ontario"
Screenshot via It’s Going Down

The demonstration outside the Rec Room showed hints of the situation potentially escalating, with both “sides” yelling at each other. At one point, the umbrellas advanced as a front.

Chrystal continued to yell something about marching one male and one female animal into Noah’s Ark, making her other comments (which she presented as factual) impossible to take seriously. In response, the other side shouted unintelligible jibes about fascism. An unexpectedly funny moment arose when Chrystal derided the counter-protesters for hiding their faces while the camera panned out to King Nico wearing his camouflage-printed balaclava.

Watching the shouting match between both sides, a bystander might have found it difficult to discern who the good guys were supposed to be – the ragtag group of screeching, rowdy oddballs professing to protect children from nefarious “groomers” or the imposing, black-uniformed umbrella-shielded activists arguably more concerned with concealing their appearance and looking threatening than creating a safe space for children by conveying positive messaging.

Both groups seemed to double down, with nobody wanting to leave first. As the two sides progressively got into each other’s faces, police stepped in and tried to separate the crowd, telling everyone to go home because the drag shows were over. The spectacle laid bare how childish this is.

The Rec Room did not need or benefit from anti-faux “defenders” behaving like vigilantes, at least from my vantage point. The restaurant was set to rely on police assistance to manage unruly protesters. The only thing overheard on film were two groups of people shouting and swearing at each other—a phenomenon indicative of a breakdown in how private citizens relate to one another.

And yet, it is a mistake to think the state will swoop in and save us. Instead of viewing the police as peacekeepers and deferring to authorities to keep the peace, we need to protect ourselves. No matter how impossible it might seem, we need to concentrate our efforts on centering discourse over division and education over exclusion.

What have we learned a year out from the convoy and nearly three years into the pandemic? We cannot depend solely on the police or the state for public safety. Police were ineffectual in addressing specific forms of bad behavior from the “freedom movement” to the point of appearing complicit. This opened vigilantes to take up the mantle of “community protectors.” But make no mistake—self-appointed revolutionaries who seek to reshape public discourse by bringing shady tactics to protests end up escalating the volatility and aggression factor that leads to crackdowns which could ultimately impact everyone’s ability to engage in future protests. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: those who intimidate and threaten their opponents with violence will, in turn, justify a heavy-handed police response.

There are two places I was “expected” to be this weekend – in Ottawa for the first anniversary of the “Freedom Convoy,” and at the Rec Room, anti-drag protest – and hostilities broke out at both sites.

Meanwhile, I spent a peaceful weekend snow tubing, skating, enjoying live music, and watching fireworks. It was good to recalibrate. And the breather is helping me to reframe all this madness and put it in context. I get attacked (by both sides) because I dare to show up and document protests. Accordingly, I am often positioned at the center of my stories because of how people react to my presence.

What happened this weekend shows that I am not the problem.

Caryma Sa'd

Caryma Sa'd takes a no holds barred approach in her razor-sharp commentary; nothing and nobody is immune from criticism.

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