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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.