Alberta premier condemns racist rally

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney

SPRUCE GROVE, ALBERTA – Police broke up a demonstration involving opposing groups  last week in the city’s northeast.

About 100 people were involved and police say physical confrontations took place between those calling themselves patriots and others calling themselves anti-fascists.

Kenney says racists and white supremacists are un-Canadian and un-Albertan.

He says Canada, while imperfect, was built on the concepts of human dignity and equality.

Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu has also condemned the demonstration.

It’s the latest in a series of racial encounters in the province.

Workers at a project near a junior high school in Edmonton were fired recently after swearing and using racist language during an Indigenous smudging ceremony, and clashes have taken place between white supremacist groups and Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve got a small number of kooks who go around trying to get attention for a message of hate,” said Kenney. “We condemn racism and racial prejudice.”