University talk featuring anti-immigration speaker Faith Goldy cancelled after fire alarm pulled

A public talk organized atWilfridLaurierUniversityfeaturing controversial speaker FaithGoldywascancelled due to a fire alarm being pulled on Tuesday night.

The talk was set to start at 7:15 p.m. ET. At approximately 7:20 p.m, a fire alarm was pulled and police evacuated the building, preventing anyone from entering the Paul Martin Centre.

Event attendees then moved to Veterans' Greenpark, on the other side of campus, where Lindsay Shepherd, the organizer of the event, announced the talk was cancelled.

Organizer 'super disappointed'

Shepherd, theco-founder of the campus groupLaurierSociety for OpenInquiry, said she's "super disappointed" at the outcome.

According toGoldy'sTwitter account, the fire alarm was pulled before she was even introduced and presented on stage.

"My view of these college leftists is more damaged than it used to be," Shepherd said toCBCNews, assuming the person who pulled the fire alarm wassomeone who opposed the talk.

More than 175 people wanted to attend Goldy'stalk, which extendedthe room's capacity.Shepherd said she had to turn away an additional hundred.

Counter protest

Goldywas let go from her job atRebel Mediaafter appearing on a podcast affiliated with the neo-Nazi website the DailyStormer.

Her planned talk at the Waterloo university "Ethnocide: Multiculturalism and European Canadian Identity" drew polarizing responses, including criticismfrom outspoken professors at the university who called on administration to prohibit it and for students to tear down posters with Goldy'sface.

Protesters said providing her with a platform makes students of colour feel unsafe.

The crowds protesting outside the Paul Martin Centre Tuesday chanted"black and Indigenous lives matter."

"WilfridLaurierUniversity has determined that our lives do not matter here,"saidFanisJumaRadstake,who represents theAfrican Community Wellness Initiative on campus.

"Theyacted as a gateway for violent white supremacists to have access to our children and youth," Radstakesaid.

'Try to get her back'

Goldy on TwitterthankedShepherd and said she will be back.

Shepherd said the turn of events makes her feel motivated to keep organizing controversial talks.

"We'll have more of the unpopular speaker series. We are committed to having her back," said Shepherd.

"We saw how much interest there was. Frankly the room was not big enough."