Police investigating clash inside Eaton Centre during Dyke March

Police are reviewing a clash caught on video, allegedly between two groups of protestersat Toronto's Eaton Centre on Saturday, thatoccurred at the same time asthe Dyke March duringPride celebrations.

The fight started outside the downtown shopping mall, according to its management and Toronto police.

A rallybyPEGIDACanada, a group thatdescribes itself as "Patriots of Canada against the Islamization of the West,"was plannedat the courthouse at 361University Ave.on Saturdaywith people from the yellow-vest movement and other right-winggroupsin attendance.

Counter-protesters intercepted the demonstration, and the groups allegedly followed each other into the Eaton Centre.

A video shows peoplepunching and kicking each other.Some of the people involved were wearingshirts with"Canada Nationalist Party" and "Read the Bible repent and be born again" written on them.

The person recording the video identifiedas a yellow-vest member.

Fight in Eaton Centre during Pride's Dyke March

5 years ago

Duration 0:56

Police are reviewing a violent fight that broke out at Toronto's Eaton Centre during the Dyke March at Pride. (Video Courtesy: YouTube/Facts VS. Feelings)

Olivia Nuamah, executive director of Pride, said it'sno coincidence the incidenthappened during the Dyke March and nearPride's main stage.

Pride waswarnedpeople wereplanning to disrupt the marches, she said; Toronto police were monitoring the situation andincreased security.Anti-LGBTprotestshad occurred at Hamilton's Pride event the weekend beforeand several people sufferedminor injuries during a physical confrontation.

Nuamah said violence is on the rise against marginalized communities.

The video is a "physical manifestation of the issues that this community faces," she said. "This is incredibly worrying."

It's not specific to Pride, Nuamahsaid, addingracist violence is happening across Canada and the Western developed world.

While it's nothing new, Nuamahsaid, thepolitical, social and economic environment is making it "much more OK" for people to cause harm.

"It's growing, it'smenacing, it's making us feel unsafe, and something needs to be done about it."

'Straight up violence and hatred'

The scene in the video was described as "straight up violence and hatred," byJessica Green, a University of Toronto professor, and expert on social movements.

Green saidthese groups can be veryfluid; they often don't have a single message and members self-identity which is part of their strength.

The Canadian Nationalist Party one of the names on T-shirts in thevideois an unregistered political party that advocates for an "ethnocentric Canada." Ethnocentric isdefined as the attitude that one's own group is superior.

The groupcalls for restricted immigration and public defunding of Pride events on its website.

Nuamah said Pride was "incredibly well looked after" by the Toronto Police Service during the weekend's festivities, which is why incidentsdid notspill intoPride events.

The incident on Saturday "was about Pride. It was about the kind of people coming to Pride," she said.