40 or so protesters in Montreal went to the US consulate and threw shoes at black and white pictures of the president. One of the first to do this was new elected Amir Khadir who ran for the separatist party Quebec Solidaire. Protesters spoke to anyone they could find in the media and made sure to mention that this was a "humorous protest". After the shoe throwing was over the Montreal protesters walked over to the Canadian Armed Forces recruiting Center and protested something else.
In the Toronto group of protesters was an Iraqi refugee by the name Ahmed Habib who stated he hopes that Canadian journalists start throwing shoes at Stephen Harper.
Normally, I like protest and I'm really happy that as Canadians we have the right to protest. I just wish people would pick their causes a little better. Don't get me wrong I was the first to laugh when the reporter threw his shoes at Bush but holding protests in solidarity of him and trying to equate his actions towards Bush as something that should somehow be done against our Prime Minister? I don't think so, I'm pretty sure if you asked the shoe thrower himself what he though of Stephen Harper he wouldn't even know or care about who he was.
Also, I just think the manner in which this protest was conducted, especially in Montreal, exhibited a complete lack of control and is a black eye on this city.
Not to mention that if any protest should be in Canada right now it should be about having blogger and fellow Canadian Hossein Derakhshan released from jail in Iran for speaking his mind. This seems a little bit more important to me then showing your solidarity for the shoe thrower. Just my two cents.
Muchacho Enfermo
3 comments:
I completely agree with you!
Personally I feel, that the shoe thrower is lucky the secret police, didn't just shoot him right there, on the spot.
I'm a little hung up on the entire issue.
The guy did throw an object at the President, and as such should have been arrested, even if only precautionary.
We don't have to like George Bush -- I certainly don't. But we do have to respect that he is the President of the United States -- or at least that he currently holds that office.
Beating the guy up, on the other hand, was just plain wrong. He did no harm, and it wasn't very likely that he was going to hurt the President.
So it seems that there very much was something to protest over. Then again, I doubt that's what was really going on here. It seems to me that this was simply a bunch of anti-Americans taking the opportunity to do something distinctly anti-American.
Zurama is right he's lucky the secret service didn't shoot him on sight. If this had been in the US it probably would have happened.
The problem is that throwing a shoe is a symbolic gesture and killing someone isn't very symbolic.
I'm just angry at these protesters that should seriously organize a little better and get their stuff together. If they really wanted to protest the shoe thrower's beating then that's what you protest. Don't throw stuff at Bush's picture and talk about mass murder. Prison violence and mass murder just aren't the same thing.
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