Hundreds protest Canada’s treatment of migrants, refugees
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the corner of Guy St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. Saturday afternoon to denounce the Canadian government’s role in the deaths of refugees and migrants.
Chants of “welcome, refugees” filled the air as the protest moved south on Guy St. before the group turned east on Ste. Catherine St. The protest in downtown Montreal was one of the approximately 20 rallies that took place across the country this week.
Protesters held up signs calling for open borders and demanding Canada take in more refugees to help with the migrant crisis in the Middle East. Many signs showed the viral photo of Alan Kurdi, the drowned Syrian toddler whose corpse was photographed on a Turkish beach.
At the protest, Organizers from Solidarity Across Borders said Canada needs to reevaluate its “exclusionary policies,” and that the lack of funding to help migrants and refugees stems from a lack of “political priority” on processing applications to enter Canada.
“We’re instead investing our resources in removing people faster, putting them in expensive prisons and sending them back to conditions that are unacceptable,” said Solidarity Across Borders organizer Rosalind Wong.
