On Saturday, February 15, Women's Rights Matter hosted an important event at the Ottawa Public Library, featuring a screening of the documentary Adult Human Female and a presentation on the current state of women's rights in Canada. Our goal was simple: to foster discussion and awareness about the challenges women and girls face today. However, the afternoon took an unexpected turn when a group of masked individuals, self-identifying as ANTIFA, came into the auditorium in an attempt to shut us down.
As we were setting up, these masked agitators entered the venue and, just as the documentary began, a few of them rushed the stage. One individual aggressively ripped out the cords from the wall, disrupting our screening. They grabbed our free informational materials—stickers and door hangers—defacing and scattering them across the floor. The group did not stop at destruction; they resorted to harassment, hurling crude and misogynistic insults at us, including, “no TERFs in Ottawa,” "suck on my lady-d!ck," "every time a TERF insults me, my clit grows more into a penis, it’s growing right now!” and other grotesque comments meant to intimidate and demean (as evidenced by the recordings @GNCCentric on X posted that you can view here). Their actions made it explicitly clear: they did not believe we had the right to hold this event or express our views.
Despite repeated requests from the library staff and security to leave, the protesters refused. Authorities were called, and about half an hour after the event was supposed to begin, the police arrived. The officers declared the group was trespassing and ordered them to vacate the premises, warning of arrests if they did not comply. Finally, the disruption came to an end, and we were able to proceed as planned.
While their goal was to silence, intimidate, and derail our event, they did not succeed. Once the protesters were removed, we resumed our screening and presented the segment on federal policies affecting women’s rights in Canada. Their attempt to stop us was nothing more than a temporary obstacle—a minor hiccup in an otherwise powerful and successful afternoon.
This was not the first event Women’s Rights Matter has held, and it certainly will not be the last. No amount of disruption, intimidation, or threats will deter us from advocating for the rights and protections of women and girls. We will continue to speak, we will continue to organize, and we will continue to shine a light on the issues that matter. The voices of women will not be silenced.
To all those who attended and supported us, thank you. Your presence and resilience fuel this movement. The conversation continues, and our fight for women’s rights moves forward—undeterred. If you would like to watch the documentary, you can here.
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