Students led a protest on Sept. 9 to speak up against recent anti-immigrant sentiments and show support for international, immigrant and BIPOC students. They also demanded the university ban the Dominion Society from campus.
A group of U of M students decided to take action when a member of the Dominion Society, a movement “promoting Canadian nationalism and immigration reform to preserve Canada’s cultural continuity,” put up stickers that promoted the group’s ideologies around the U of M campus. Students showed up to the protest with posters with wording like, “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “No tolerance for intolerance.”
Students from different clubs such as U of M Students for Cuba and the Black Students’ Union as well as attendees delivered speeches.
The president of U of M Students for Cuba spoke at the event, saying, “We students must stand together against the spread of far-right ideas. We must defend the diverse and multinational nature of Canada and stand with immigrant and Indigenous peoples who are being targeted by an internationally emboldened far right.”
“The DSC’s activities do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a global rise in white supremacist activities that seek to uphold and defend hateful and unjust structures.”
One of the speeches emphasized the consequences of discrimination such as students fearing to participate in campus events, wear cultural clothing or speak their languages.
Students are asking the university to take action to ensure the safety of migrant students and students of colour by taking action to stop the Dominion Society from continuing to spread “far-right genocidal rhetoric.”
Victoria Romero, another speaker, said, “What these stickers represent […] the messaging that is being pushed that there is a white genocide or an ethnic cleansing of white people […] is a ridiculous claim, an absolute farce.”
“It is disgusting how people are being manipulated to think that their economic troubles or their circumstances are somehow the fault of another person that came to this country seeking a better life.”
A different speaker at the protest, Clara Toth, added, “We are all equal as people. We all deserve the right to exist.”
Hunter Reynolds, an attendee of the protest, hopes that the university realizes “how united [students] are against hate speech.” He also hopes those targeted by the society’s rhetoric feel solidarity from students at the protest.
When it comes to a response from the university, Romero expects the university to “act in accordance with their respectful work and learning environment policy and their commitment with their anti-racism strategy to ban the Dominion Society and its members from coming to […] campus.” In her speech, she highlighted the quick escalation of fascism across the globe and the importance of historical and current issues such as mass deportation and the violation of constitutional rights in the U.S.
Roheemat Ajayi-Raheem, an executive of the Black Students’ Union and protest attendee, said this issue is important to her personally because she is a second-generation immigrant who has faced a lot of racism that affected her growing up in Canada. “It is important for us to protect the safety and the wellbeing of all students whether [they have a] racialized, minority, sexual orientation or gender diverse background,” she said.
Students attended the protest to see everyone come together and support their classmates. Melanie, another participant at the protest, highlighted, “Love is the way.”
In response to an email sent by a student organizer to the vice-provost admin regarding the safety of immigrant and BIPOC students, administration said, “Expression at UM is guided by the UM Statement on Freedom of Expression for University of Manitoba Community Members, developed through broad consultation and endorsed by UM Senate on March 4, 2026. Should you wish to further discuss anti racism at UM, please […] set up a meeting with me.”
This response led to another protest organized on Sept. 14, as organizers deemed the university’s response a “failure on the part of the university to live up to its own promises.”
Despite rain, students showed up in front of the administration building to make their voices heard. A petition has also been made and student signatures are being collected to ban the Dominion Society from campus.
