Toronto’s most infamous riot broke out in 1933, just months after Adolf Hitler seized power in Germany. It happened at Christie Pits, on the corner of Bloor and Christie Streets in the west end, known as Willowvale Park at the time.
When local Nazis unfurled a Swastika banner at a ballgame involving a Jewish team, it sparked a night of violence that saw more than 10,000 people battle in the streets. It was the climax of a summer of demonstrations by Toronto fascists, and the fact only a few were arrested highlighted how deeply ingrained xenophobia was in a city that still saw itself as a fiercely Protestant place.
