Canadians Banned From US Protests

We witnessed large protests (either up close or televised) around the world this weekend. Every continent -- even Antarctica -- held their own events. From Sydney, Australia to Cape Town, South Africa and London, England to Kolkata, India, activists flooded their own capitals if they could not reach Washington, D.C. However, what better way for Canadians to stand in solidarity than cross the southern border and physically join the Women’s March on Washington as allies?

Except that we could not.

Lots of Canadians who planned to attend the rally were denied access by officials. As twice the original estimate of protesters (and double the amount of Inauguration attendees) demonstrated peacefully, border agents stopped and questioned Canadians. Alleging that the rally would be dangerous and violent, our citizens were refused entry. The American officials additionally fingerprinted and photographed all individuals after searching their personal belongings and vehicles. Several were told that further attempts would require a visa or result in arrest.

Joe Kroese, a British student living in Montreal, described scare tactics straight out of a George Orwell novel. "They took my phone and started going through my texts. There was another group of Canadians there that were also going to the march and were being refused entry ... They searched the car and then they asked the driver if he practiced Islam and if he spoke Arabic. They wanted to spook us a bit. It felt like a kind of intimidation."

What were some of the issues addressed at the Women's March on Washington?

• reproductive freedoms
• immigration reform
• religious tolerance
• LGBTQ and disability rights
• gender and racial equality
• climate change
• better working wages
• economic justice
• other issues to promote compassion, inclusivity, and unity

What do you think about the new American administration? Let us know in the comments!