MONTREAL – A second rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States was held in downtown Montreal’s Cabot Square Saturday afternoon.
A similar gathering Wednesday evening at Nelson Mandela Park attracted a crowd of some 300 protesters.
Rally organizer Ghionawit Tamir, a Concordia University student, emphasized that she and other organizers are not affiliated with the Black Lives Matter organization.
“There is an actual Black Lives Matter organization and there is a chapter in Toronto,but nowhere else in Canada,” said Tamir. “We’re simply students who really felt concerned by the situation and we wanted to bring it up in the Canadian context.”
READ MORE: Black Lives Matter rally attracts hundreds of people in Montreal
The purpose of today’s rally was not just to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. but to also raise awareness about the discrimination that black people face in Canada and Quebec.
“An ideal outcome for me right now would be for people to really question themselves and understand that they really have an impact on what’s happening,” said Tamir. “Especially for people who are not necessarily black. How do you contribute to that system and how do you stop that?”
The rally had over a hundred people of many ethnic backgrounds in attendance.
Poets and singers spoke their minds on the issue of race in Quebec, Canada, and the United States.
WATCH: Black Lives Matter demonstrators march in Australia