When a large group of people gathered on Main Street in Penticton, B.C. for the ongoing protest against COVID-19 mandates, a smaller group of counter protesters gathered across the street.
It waved signs that read “thank you for protecting me,” “vaccines save lives” and “lest we forget who fought, sacrificed and died for our freedom.”
“What we want to do is showcase to people in Penticton that there is another side and that there is another voice. There are so many volunteers here on short notice as we organized this on Friday,” said the counter protest organizer, Ajeet Brar.
The counter-protesters say they were “frustrated” driving past the intersection every weekend and seeing the freedom rally.
“They are not the only voice. I started to get frustrated driving past here every week and listening to them — seeing their rhetoric which has started to become very hateful. I know that at the core, that is not what they claim to be advocating for but that is what it has molded into,” said Brar.
Brar says he wanted the event to be positive and even outlined sign suggestions for people who wanted to participate.
“We are here to show a side of a story and an argument. People can make their own decisions, and I think we can agree on that. We aren’t here to cause conflict,” he said.
The two protests began peacefully but according to Brar, the environment became “hostile” and they decided to wrap up early instead of engaging with the other protesters.
“Penticton there is a voice here for science, for vaccines. We respect the other side. We haven’t instigated them. They have come over to try and debate with us, but we know that at the end of the day, we are not going to convince them, and they are not going to convince us,” said Brar.
The group says their goal was to avoid attacking the knowledge and beliefs of the protestors who are arguing against COVID-19 mandates but instead open a dialogue between the two groups.
“A quote that has really stuck with me that I am trying to emphasize today, is that ‘every conspiracy theorist shouldn’t be thought of as another yahoo or crazy, they should be thought of as scientists who have been misguided.’ That is why we don’t want to attack these people. We want to make sure that we understand that they have the right to question people and ask why. However, the sources that they are checking might not be as factual as they might think,” said Brar.
He says that the counter protest on Sunday could be the first of many to come in Penticton.
Comments