Canadians rally at US embassies to protest travel ban

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Ont. (AA) - Hundreds demonstrators gather at the U.S. consulate in Toronto and other Canadian cities Monday to protest opposition to an American travel ban on those who live in seven predominately Muslim countries, Canadian media reported.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government said it will offer temporary residency to anyone stranded in Canada as a result of the ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

As well, Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed said Sunday the tens of thousands of Canadians who hold dual nationality with Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Libya and Yemen can travel freely to the United States despite the ban, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Canada’s national newscaster.

“We have been assured that Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passports will be dealt with in the usual process,” said a spokeswoman for the prime minister’s office, in a statement.

The CBC said Canadians would not be affected by the new U.S. immigration policy.

Outside the shuttered American embassy in Toronto, protesters were peaceful, but they blocked traffic as police kept a watchful eye.

One American citizen told CTV television news she was “deeply ashamed” of her country.

“I can barely find the words for how angry and pained I am that Donald Trump with one executive order has spit on the things that were the very foundations of American democracy,” said Anne Rubenstein, who is currently teaching at York University.

In the Canadian capital of Ottawa, hundreds of protesters surrounded the U.S. embassy and chanted: “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada remains committed to welcoming refugees even as the country’s southern neighbor under Trump cracks down on immigration, Huffington Post Canada reported.

“To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith,” Trudeau said on Twitter lasr weekend. “Diversity is our strength.”

Canada took in about 39,000 Syrian refugees in the year between December 2015 and December 2016, reported the Huffington Post.