TORONTO – A Facebook event page calling for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to resign has garnered huge response on social media.
As of Wednesday morning the event listing showed over 2,200 RSVPs of people planning to attend Saturday’s rally – up from 1,000 on Tuesday afternoon.
The group called “Stand Up for Toronto – Let’s Demand Rob Ford’s Resignation,” created late Monday, calls for those concerned with Ford’s ability to run the city to gather Saturday at Nathan Philips Square, located just outside of city hall, for a peaceful rally.
Read More: Toronto women make cake, ask Rob Ford to resign on his birthday
On Tuesday over 8,000 Facebook users had been invited to the event page.
That number has now grown to over 15,000.
Chris Wright, who started the event on Facebook, said he created the group as a concerned citizen who felt the city lacked the leadership it deserved and felt that city hall was being overwhelmed with scandals.
READ MORE: Wright explains his decision to create the Facebook group
The controversy surrounding the mayor stems from reports of a video allegedly showing someone who matches the appearance of Mayor Rob Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.
Initially the mayor called the allegations “ridiculous” and on Friday denied the allegations that he uses crack cocaine.
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“I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine,” Ford said during a press conference.
Global News has not seen and cannot verify the authenticity of the alleged video.
Read More: Deputy mayor believes alleged Ford video exists
Organizers behind the www.fordmustgo.com, an online petition asking for the mayor’s resignation, have now joined forces with Wright. The Facebook page now directs people to go to the website and sign the petition.
The event listing also notes that hard copies of the petition will be handed out at Saturday’s gathering.
Wright updated the Facebook event page Wednesday encouraging attendees to bring chalk and leave messages of their vision for a better Toronto on the concrete outside of Nathan Phillips Square.
“Let’s turn it into a canvas,” read the updated event info.
Participants are being asked to use the hashtag #StandUpTO on Twitter.
The rally is planned for Saturday, June 1 at 12:00 p.m. at Nathan Phillips Square.
Meanwhile, groups supporting Ford have popped up on Facebook. One, called “I Hate The War on Mayor Rob Ford,” calls for people to stop picking on the Mayor.
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