Protesters shut down a section of University Avenue for the second time this week in a march against Islamophobia.
The movement, hashtagged #NoMuslimBanTO, brought in hundreds of protesters last month shortly after the immigration ban was first implemented by Trump. The protest caused the U.S Consulate on University Ave. to be shut down.
Hundreds of protesters are back just five days later to march again for the same cause. Organizers of the protest are calling on the Canadian government to condemn the travel ban.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped short of a full-on condemnation, but did tweet in support of Canada’s diversity immediately after Trump implemented the travel ban.
Cities around the world have been hosting protests just like Toronto’s this weekend. In London, thousands of protesters marched on Parliament to demand the British government withdraw its invitation to President Trump for a state visit.
Already this week, Trump cancelled a trip to visit Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, where local groups had planned to protest his visit. The White House said the protests were not the reason.
Large-scale marches over the immigration policy have also taken place in New York, Seattle, Miami, and other major American cities. The weeklong protests are preceded still by the global Women’s March, some of the largest protests ever seen over a U.S. President immediately following Trump’s inauguration day.
Opposition to Trump’s immigration ban hasn’t been limited to the general public though.
A U.S. federal judge put a nationwide hold on Trump’s travel ban Friday night, which led to more confusion and chaos surrounding Trump’s flurry of executive orders.
The move garnered criticism directly from Trump on Saturday morning, who tweeted out against the ruling and pledged to overturn it.
“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump said.
The U.S. President has said that the ban was implemented to protect the U.S from ‘radical Islamic terrorists.’ Travellers from the seven countries – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia – were banned from the U.S. for 90 days, and the U.S. refugee program was suspended for 120 days. The Syrian refugee program was also suspended indefinitely.
With files from Associated Press, Washington Post
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