Jordan Peterson event at Centre in the Square draws sellout crowd, demonstration outside

There was both a sellout crowd inside and a demonstration outside of the Centre in the Square Wednesday evening for speaker Jordan Peterson.

The controversial psychologist and former University of Toronto professor turned internet celebrity was scheduled to speak at the publicly funded Kitchener venue for weeks.

In that time, there were numerous calls from community groups to cancel the event.

"His opinions have normalized inciting harm upon racialized individuals, queer individuals, and trans-identifying individuals," said demonstrator Aashay Dalvi.

A group of 20 greeted people attending the speech and called their demonstration outside the square a "rally against hate."

Police officers were also present to ensure public safety at what turned out to be a peaceful event.

"There are people that are harmed by the ideas that Jordan Peterson shares," said demonstrator William Turman. "What he is saying and the ideas he is spreading are not neutral and there are victims. There are people who don't think what he's saying is healthy or beneficial to everyone in the community."

Ground Up Waterloo Region and the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region are among the community groups supporting the protest.

Both released statements condemning the City of Kitchener and the public funded venue for hosting Peterson.

"The Centre in the Square recognizes that the world of arts and culture is as rich and varied as the complexity of our community," a spokesperson for the venue wrote in an email to CTV News. "As a venue, the Centre in the Square does not endorse the content of its presentations, or does it police artistic expression or speech by performers, so long as it is within the bounds of the law."

The Kitchener lecture is one of several stops for Jordan Peterson.

The author, podcaster, and former professor gained international attention for his views on free speech, political correctness, and gender identity.

Peterson's media contact did not respond to CTV News' request for comment. CTV also approached multiple people attending the event who all declined an on camera interview.