An intended march by a Christian group into the heart of Toronto’s gay village Saturday stalled moments after it began when police peacefully separated it from a group of LGBTQ2S activists and supporters, in a showdown that closed major downtown intersections and lasted hours.Following a rally led by organizer and evangelist preacher David Lynn on Church St, between Front St. and The Esplanade, the Christian group of several hundred people toting signs that read “Civil Rights are for Christians too” and “These are our streets too” started marching north, with a live, amplified band on a trailer pulled by a red pickup truck.For a moment, the group’s leading banner was of Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada, until Lynn quickly switched it for one that read “We are Canadian Christians,” and added a Canadian flag.Toronto’s LGBTQ2S communities were ready for a showdown. Lynn was arrested in June at the start of pride month for causing a disturbance after attempting to preach in The Village, and is widely viewed by the community as a threat, which accuses him of spreading hate. Lynn is a founding member of Christ’s Forgiveness Ministries, according to the organization’s website. The ministry espouses “radical” preaching with a “global” goal to be on “every major street corner.”The police were ready for the showdown too. Hundreds of officers were on hand, including members of the public order unit.The Christian march did not make it even a block. Police had blocked off the large intersection near the St. Lawrence Market, which, to the north up Church St, was lined many rows deep with hundreds of LGBTQ2S activists and supporters, a small number of whom were dressed in black and wore masks.That group’s lead banner read: “Not in our city — United against hate.”For several hours, police kept both sides apart, forming a cordon aroun ...
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