Canadian sports events react to U.S. tariffs with anthem protests

Raptors fans have been doing it for a while now, and they did it again on Sunday, booing the American national anthem at a Toronto Raptors game. The booing of the American national anthem at pro sporting events in Canada continued to rise on Sunday. The same thing happened on Saturday night in Ottawa, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta and the booing resumed hours after U.S. President Donald Trump actually imposed tariffs on his country’s northern neighbor. At first, the fans cheered for the 15-year-old female singer, but then they started booing during “The Star-Spangled Banner” performance. By the time the singer finished her performance, the audience could be heard cheering and booing, which turned into loud applause for the Canadian national anthem. Joseph Chua, who lives in Toronto and attended the game, said he is going to feel the tariffs ‘pretty directly’ in his work as an importer. However, he said he doesn’t think booing is ‘the right thing to do in this situation’. He decided to stay in his seat. I have a lot of family and friends in America, they are Americans and we travel to America a lot but I thought that singing ‘Canada’ would be a more appropriate reaction. Chua, who was purposefully wearing his red Canada Basketball cap said he doesn’t normally stand. “I usually stand. I have always stood for both the anthems. I have taken my hat off for the American national anthem, but today, we are a little bit tired of it all.” “We had started talking about what is and is not Canadian, particularly what is and is not American, and what one should avoid. In the grocery store, I will most definitely be trying to avoid purchasing products and goods produced in America.” In order to levy taxes of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on imports from China, Trump had to declare an economic emergency. Oil, natural gas and electricity, which are imported from Canada, will be taxed at the rate of 10 per cent. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the president of Mexico called for retaliatory tariffs on products imported from the United States. US national anthem boos in Canada are infrequent, but have happened in the past, especially during important world events. In the early 2000s, Canadians booed at games to express their discontent with the Iraqi war that was being waged by the United States. The NHL’s Canucks will play the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Shandor Brenner is an American journalist recognized for his sharp and insightful reporting on social and political issues. His work is known for its depth, integrity, and the ability to highlight critical societal concerns.