Regional Overview
United States & Canada
March 2024

Posted: 8 April 2024

Canada: Labor demonstrations spike amid multiple negotiations and strikes

Demonstrations led by workers demanding higher wages and better benefits more than doubled in Canada in March compared to February, as multiple labor unions mobilized across the country. Labor-related demonstrations made up just under half of all events in Canada last month, reaching their highest levels since April 2023, when the Public Service Alliance of Canada led a nationwide general strike.¹ The Canadian Union of Public Employees and Unifor more than doubled their participation in demonstrations from February to March. Meanwhile, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union held demonstrations across Ontario over the potential privatization of the province’s Liquor Control Board (LCBO). As a result, their activity more than quadrupled from February to March, marking their most active month since ACLED began collecting Canada data in January 2021. Ontario Premier Doug Ford later claimed the union was misrepresenting his plans for the LCBO, stating, “We will never, ever sell the LCBO.”²

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United States: Demonstrations in support of Palestine show no signs of slowing

In March, demonstrations related to Palestine made up more than a third of all demonstration events in the United States, with protests in support of Palestine making up the vast majority. An international day of action on 2 March marked the highest single-day number of such demonstrations since 9 November 2023, which saw widespread organizing around the ‘Shut it Down for Palestine’ campaign.³ The 2 March day of action, which saw demonstrations take place across at least 23 states and Washington, DC, was organized to protest Israel’s plans to invade the Gazan city of Rafah during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on 10 March.⁴ These demonstrations come in the backdrop of a notable shift in the US government’s stance on the conflict. On 25 March, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict after the US abstained from the vote rather than using its power of veto.⁵ Since the conflict reignited in October 2023, the US had vetoed three separate ceasefire resolutions.⁶

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United States: Ongoing far-right militia, militant social movement, and white supremacist training events and other activities

Far-right, militant social movement, and white supremacist activity decreased from February to March. In Arizona, the Chino Valley Preparedness Team, Verde Valley Preparedness Team, and the Lions of Liberty continued to hold recruitment events. Members of the Proud Boys also participated in at least one demonstration in support of former President Donald Trump in Dearborn, Michigan.

Openly white supremacist activity also decreased in March, though nearly 90% of all recorded far-right activity last month involved white supremacist groups. The Ku Klux Klan disseminated racist fliers in Ohio, while White Lives Matter affiliates disseminated similar fliers in Wisconsin and held demonstrations in Alabama, Washington, and Michigan. Meanwhile, the Goyim Defense League disseminated white nationalist fliers in Texas, California, and South Carolina and held a demonstration at a highway overpass in Texas. California continues to be the most concentrated state for Goyim Defense League activity, contributing to around a quarter of all events involving the group. Several Active Clubs, a network of independent groups loosely affiliated with the Rise Above Movement, held sparring trainings in Arizona, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee. The Southern Oregon Nationalists also held at least one sparring training in Medford, Oregon, marking their first recorded activity in 2024 since November 2023. In Yarmouth, Massachusetts, members of the People’s Initiative of New England, which is affiliated with the Nationalist Social Club-131, distributed propaganda fliers at a local zoning board meeting.

Patriot Front activity contributed to over half of recorded militia activity last month. Patriot Front held training events and dropped banners and fliers across at least 14 states. Though Massachusetts and Texas have seen the highest concentration of Patriot Front activity since the beginning of 2020, the group was most active in Colorado this month, dropping several banners around the Denver metropolitan area. Last month also marks the first recorded Patriot Front activity in West Virginia since ACLED began collecting data in 2020.

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Methodology

See the Codebook and the User Guide for an overview of ACLED’s core methodology. For additional documentation, check the Resource Library. Region-specific methodology briefs can be accessed below.

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