NoKings in Ottawa? Sort of.

Canadians are polite, 
but the US Amb is a dick

 Tricky to keep the American name for an event about royalty when, yes, Canada remains a Constitutional monarchy.  Yet no one was too fussed yesterday about calling the protest NoKings.  King Chuck is not that popular here.  They called it No Tyrants in the UK and in other places with more popular kings (Sweden, etc).  Anyhow, I joined the festivities yesterday.  I haven't been to too many protests, and protesting Trump in Canada seems a bit silly.  But given that the US Ambassador to Canada is a relentless dick and that we live in the darkest of times and my vaccine side-effects hadn't kicked in yet, I went downtown to join the protestors.

Despite having no art skills and lousy handwriting, I managed to make a legible sign (at least on one side).  I tried to invoke the spirit of John Oliver on the other side--F.U., Make Me--but it didn't look that good and it didn't fit with most of the positivity of the rest of the signs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfectly anticipated 
Trump's post last night.

The protest started at 2pm next to the US embassy, and I'd guess there were a couple hundred of us.  We eventually walked around the building and block.  For a while, we were stuck on the next street and it kind of felt like we were protesting the stylish restaurant across the street called Social. The signs were a mix of Canadian nationalism, fraternity with Americans in their time of plight, hate for Trump, and miscellaneous causes.  

We got a lot of cars passing by to honk at us, although Ford F-150s tended not to.  And notably, the pickup. from New York (NY plates) did not seem pleased to see us. 

 

 

The organizers had a weak speaker and didn't really have the best speaking voices, so I didn't listen to them much.  The most popular music of the day was Green Day's American Idiot. 

Canadians do very much feel anger and empathy at this moment in time.  While a defining characteristic of Canadian identity is not being Americans, it really is not an anti-American country.  But it is definitely an anti-Trump country, as the leader of the Conservative Party found out last spring (but continues to forget as he keeps plagiarizing Trump's rhetoric).  

At this moment  in time, Canadians can't do much besides boycott American products and refuse to travel to the US (well, except me, I am headed south for a conference later this week and then to family for Thanksgiving in late November).  So, what they can and did do is march in solidarity.  Again, very positive spirits among the crowd mixed with sadness and anger for all of the unnecessary cruelty and suffering.  Oh, and I don't think Trump is coming back anytime soon, as the protests for that would be ar larger. And he is such a fragile person. 

So, here are some pics I took below.

The walk around the embassy

One of several Star Wars-related signs.

We had a couple of frogs, one unicorn, one baby shark, and a triceratops.

More than a few Epstein references

Some aforementioned Canadian Nationalism.

He ain't wrong.

A common spirit--hey, neighbors, what is wrong with you?
We'd like to go back to our quiet contempt about your health care system 
as well as resentment for your domination of Stanley Cups.

Triceratops.  They might be extinct, but democracy isn't.... yet.