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Canadian PM Trudeau joins a ‘Black lives matter’ rally, kneels for 9 minutes
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked in unannounced at the rally and mingled with the crowd. He was joined by Somali-Canadian Cabinet colleague Ahmed Hussen, the Minister for Families, Children and Social Development.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an impromptu appearance at an anti-racial discrimination rally in the country’s capital Ottawa, and proceeded to kneel along with protestors as they paid homage to African-American George Floyd who was killed by police in Minneapolis recently.
Trudeau walked in unannounced at the rally and mingled with the crowd. He was joined by Somali-Canadian Cabinet colleague Ahmed Hussen, the Minister for Families, Children and Social Development.
Trudeau kneeled for nearly nine minutes, at the rally that took place on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Though videos of the event showed there were scattered shouts of “Go away” from some in the crowd, Trudeau nodded along to chants of ‘Black lives matter’. Some of the shouts also included the term blackface, referring to the multiple photographs and videos of the Prime Minister that emerged late year with his face darkened.
The Canadian Prime Minister has been criticized and ridiculed for a 21-second long pause during a recent media briefing when he was asked about the words and actions of United States President Donald Trump. Trudeau did not mention Trump even once in the response that followed the silence. He did not address the protest gathering on Friday. However, Hussen, the only black member of Trudeau’s Cabinet, told the outlet CBC, “I think it’s powerful when you have the head of government taking a knee and clapping when people say ‘black lives matter’.”
Trudeau’s presence at the protest comes days after Dr Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, warned against such gathering because of the Covid-19 threat and advised virtual rallies instead.
Similar marches also took place in other Canadian cities including Toronto.