The leader of a self-styled Canadian  “white rights” group was in Peterborough Sunday, looking to spread his beliefs.

“Had a White Pride rally with supporters of the Canadian Nationalist Front in Peterborough,” Kevin Goudreau posted on Twitter Sunday.

Goudreau, a member of the Canadian Nationalist Front, is an avowed white supremacist who wants to see all people of colour deported from Canada. “I feel that Canada’s makeup should be predominantly white European,” he told The National Post in a 2011 interview titled A Hater Among Us.

He and a small group of men held White Pride flags and stood at the corner of George and Simcoe streets Sunday afternoon. Across the street, several other people took part in an ongoing series of Islam awareness talks being held around the city.

Goudreau, wearing a tie, took photographs of spectators and made a video with his phone, which he later posted to his Twitter account.

Twitter user Andrew MacDonald spotted the men and posted photos on Twitter, adding: "Disgusting display of hate in downtown Peterborough today. White pride flag waving has no place on our streets."

City police spokeswoman Lauren Gilchrist confirmed Monday that police were called about the situation, but the men with flags had left before officers arrived. No further complaints were received by police, she stated.

Police also issued a statement: "While people have the right to peaceful assembly, we encourage anyone with concerns regarding a protest or rally to call us. We certainly want to know about incidents such as this so we can appropriately monitor the situation."

Charmaine Magumbe, chair of the Race Relations Committee in Peterborough, wrote a column for an upcoming issue of The Examiner highlighting her own experiences with racism and the need for more action.

An excerpt: "Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racism Discrimination. Let’s here in Peterborough join in eliminating racism in our community not just by removing racist derogatory words from our vocabulary but demonstrating in action an inclusive environment. This can be done by treating people from other cultures with respect, dignity and humanity. By not judging people who are different from you and not accepting the stereotype found in the public media about “others.” Get to know, “others” have them over for meals, talk with them but most of all do a lot of listening. These are some small example of building an inclusive community."

The rally sparked shock on social media, with local Twitter users sharing photos of the men and debating whether groups like Goudreau's have a right to hold public rallies.