By R.J. Pate
Over 250 rally-goers gathered around the Human Rights Monument in downtown Ottawa, on Sept. 5, as part of the “Refugees Welcome” demonstrations. “Syrian refugees cannot afford anymore time,” Abdulrahman al-Masri, an independent journalist and Syrian resident now living in Canada yelled from above the crowd. “[They] are not just numbers, they are human lives, they are stories.”
“Refugees Welcome” mobilized in Ottawa and other Canadian cities to bring attention to the reality of refugees putting their lives at risk as leave Syria in search of safety. It was also meant to encourage the government of Canada to offer more aid to refugees being displaced by war and the destruction that follows.
On a global scale, “Refugees Welcome” is a worldwide gathering in solidarity with refugees. It was sparked by the deaths of Alan Kurdi, age 3, his brother Ghalib, age 5, and their mother, Rehanna, whose lives were lost trying to find refuge across the Mediterranean Sea.
With the 2015 Canadian federal elections looming over Canadian consciousness, the Syrian refugee crisis has become a major election issue.
“It is time to see our borders open,” announced Nadia Abu-Zahra, a University of Ottawa Professor for the School of International Development and Global Studies. “The amount of Canadians who want to see refugees come to Canada equals the number of refugees that want to come.”
Abu-Zahra reminded the crowd that the cost of bringing in more refugees is far less than the toll taken on the lives of these migrants. “Money is not an obstacle. Every refugee brings more wealth than we ever give.”
Alex Neve, the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, was asked if there was a logical reason why Canada should not accept Syrian refugees. His response: “There is absolutely no reason.”
Canada’s refugee acceptance rate has risen, despite the stricter asylum in the past two years. However, more than 80 per cent of Syrian refugees are being sponsored by private individuals. The remaining 20 per cent of refugees are government sponsored, or are involved in the Blended Visa Office-Referred Program, which requires the participation of private donors, the Canadian government, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
As the Ottawa demonstration continued, organizers began to chant, “We are together!” This was met with cheers and applause from other rally-goers.
As the rally continued, tensions began to rise as flags were raised on stage. The Kurdish Youth Association carried the flag of Kurdistan. The flag of the Syrian regime was also represented.
Some attendees showed their disagreement with the presence of these flags by yelling and attempting to physically confront the flag-bearers. One man repeatedly asked the flag holders if they were ISIS, while using the Arabic term “Daesh.”
The organizers, after some time, jumped in and reassured the need for representation within Canada, but that the Canadian flag should solely be represented on stage at this time.
Along with the discomfort surrounding the flags, the organizers had not mentioned that the rally was taking place on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin territory until the end of the event. Progressive events taking place in Ottawa often start by acknowledging Canada’s history of Indigenous exploitation, but at this event it was an afterthought.
Concerns were also raised over the overall goal and message of the rally. “They’re taking it from a humanitarian perspective and it’s not enough,” said Sinda Garziz, who attended the rally on Sept. 5. It was “more of a Canadian perspective,” she explained. “It needs to be a little bit more. It needs to change.”
Further rallies are expected to be held in over thirty communities across Canada in the coming weeks, including Sept. 17 in Ottawa.
This article first appeared in the Leveller Vol. 8, No. 1 (Sept 2015).
