Organizers of a multicultural protest against Quebec's proposed charter of values are hoping thousands of people will hit the streets in Montreal today.

Members of of several religious communities have said they will join the march against restrictions on the wearing of religious symbols in the public service.

The plan unveiled by the Parti Québécois government earlier this week has sparked a heated debate.

While opinion polls indicate there is some support for the charter, mainly in the province's outlying regions, opponents have called it discriminatory.

Adil Charkaoui, a spokesman for the Quebec Collective Against Islamophobia, has said the noontime demonstration is only one of several planned actions against the proposed charter.

The government wants to forbid Quebec's public employees from wearing conspicuously visible religious symbols — including hijabs, turbans, yarmulkes and larger-than-average crucifixes.

It's unclear exactly who will show up to the demonstration this afternoon, and some groups have questioned the organizers' timing.

A diagram from the charter of Quebec values website illustrates what would be banned religious symbols for public employees. (Government of Quebec)

David Ouellette of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it's unlikely any Jewish group will attend.

"This demonstration was clearly planned without taking into account the participation of our community since it's Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar," he said.

Ouellette said his organization will avoid street demonstrations and try to talk directly to the government about its concerns over the charter.

Source: Shafaqna