Elbows Up protest against President Trump’s upcoming visit to Canada set for East Lynn Park on Saturday
By COLE HESSION
A family-friendly rally and protest against American President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Canada will be held on Saturday, June 14, in East Toronto.
Organized by the Woodrow Avenue Elbows Up group, the event is being called the “DON’T Come From Away, Donald!” protest.
Trump is expected to be in Alberta for next week’s G7 Summit being hosted by Canada.
The peaceful and interactive protest is being held to speak out against Trump in response to his planned visit to Canada for the G7 Summit, said the organizers.
The name of this Saturday’s protest is “an ironic nod to the award-winning play Come From Away that commemorates Canadians’ kindness to Americans stranded in Newfoundland by 9/11 terrorist attacks,” said the Woodrow Avenue Elbows Up organizers.
“In a better world, Trump wouldn’t be allowed here for the G7 in Kananaskis (Alberta) June 15. Canada would bar him due to his criminal convictions,” said Patricia Chartier, a member of the organizing group.
“Since he is coming, we decided to give ourselves and our neighbours the chance to tell him he is not welcome. We also want to demonstrate that political action can be simple to organize, fun and powerful, even for a small group of people with no real political experience.”
The protest will feature several family-friendly anti-Trump activities such as signing an oversized “UNwelcome” card with the inside message being “Don’t let the border hit you on the way out.”
The protest takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. East Lynne Park is located at 1949 Danforth Ave., just west of Woodbine Avenue.
The Woodrow Avenue Elbows Up is one of a number of such Elbows Up organizations being started across Canada in response to Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty.
“The fight to remain sovereign and democratic will be long and difficult, and require much widespread grassroots activity to maintain Canadian morale,” said the Woodrow Avenue group in a news release. “We decided to organize with neighbours on our street near Coxwell and Danforth in order to sustain each other in the fight ahead. We hope to inspire others to follow our example and that ultimately there will be a network of Elbows Up collectives across the country.”
