Protesters gather downtown to take action against Islamophobia
About 30 dedicated ralliers braved frigid weather for a peaceful protest in downtown Calgary this weekend in honour of the National Day of Action against Islamophobia and white supremacy.
Many attendees Saturday carried signs reading “No ban, no wall” and “No one is illegal” as symbols of objection to U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration ban and the recent mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque.
Asfa Riyaz, one of the protesters chanting outside the U.S. consulate office, said the most important factor in growing together as a society is acknowledging and accepting the differences of others.
“As a Muslim, whenever there’s an event or a terrorist attack, the media is always quick to point fingers at us,” she said. “Hearing about the recent events of the ban and the Quebec shooting, I have no words to express my anger and sadness. We hold these protests and vigils nearly every month, and at the end of each I pray we don’t have to hold another.”
Waving a large rainbow flag with a peace sign in the middle, Reythe Hermann said despite living in what’s considered a safe country that welcomes diversity, she worries about the impact of what she believes the discriminatory ideals of the Trump administration may have on Canadians.
“As much as we try to be our own country, we do follow in America’s suit a lot. I think when you live so close and share borders with somebody, it’s hard to stop that influence,” Hermann said. “It’s reminding me of Nazi Germany. I’m German and saw the pain my relatives went through. I know how much pain discrimination causes. It needs to stop now before it gets to that point.”
Thousands of people from the seven Muslim-majority countries subject to the Trump travel ban are now being granted entry into the U.S. after a federal Seattle judge temporarily blocked the president’s executive order Friday.