A group fighting implementation of a provincial gun registry have cancelled a planned rally set for Saturday at the memorial for the the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre.
The group calling itself Tous Contre un Reigstre Québécois Des Armes à Feu confirmed to CJAD 800, however, that they plan to hold the rally somewhere else.
A spokesperson for the group did not give an alternate location, but did say they changed their plans after receiving a death threat.
News that the group was planning to hold a pro-gun rally at the Place de 6 Décembre, four days before the 28th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre, angered many Montrealers, including the mayor, Valerie Plante, who said the choice of date and venue constituted an "unacceptable" lack of judgment and respect for the victims of the massacre, and indeed all victims of violence.
Public security minister Martin Coiteux said he was "disgusted."
"They have the right to express their views," the minister told reporters in Quebec City, "but it’s kind of a provocation. This place in Montreal is about remembering the deaths of 14 young women who were assassinated because they were women."
A counter-demonstration was also planned for Saturday.