Canada’s Anti-Bush Demonstrations Fizzle

Early anti-Bush demos fizzle in Canada (AFP)

Hopes for early mass protests in the streets of Ottawa on the eve of Tuesday’s visit by US President George W. Bush fizzled out, as journalists outnumbered demonstrators. A loose coalition of groups opposed to just about everything Bush supports had promised two demonstrations hours before Bush was due to jet into Ottawa Tuesday aboard Air Force One.

The first demonstration — of Palestinians and sympathisers of the Palestinian cause opposed to Washington’s support of Israel — attracted less than 40 demonstrators. According to a quick head count by journalists, the protest attracted 39 demonstrators, 42 journalists and television crew members and three police officers. A second, ostensibly larger, demonstration scheduled for the midst of the evening rush hour — was called by a group calling itself Students Against Bush. Nobody turned up.

Well, it does get rather chilly up there.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. David Harris says:

    Imagine the media turning out to the anti-Bush rally in greater force than the general population. The 42 journalists were probably more disappointed by the turnout than the 39 protesters.

  2. Anne says:

    … About Arafat’s death

    Dear Sir

    I am writing a book based on the Bible and numbers.
    153 is significant since it is the number of the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. Now Arafat died on November 11:

    The 153,153th hour of the year takes place at 23:11 or 11:11 PM. 11 November = 11.11.

    When you look at an open Bible, you see 2 columns on each side, separated by the central seam, that look like a “ll:ll”.

    There was an unusual celestial phenomenon on November 11 2004 over Shenyang, China, when a cloud formation 8,000 metres deep darkened the city for over half-an-hour. This was never seen before!

    Arafat’s death as well as what happened in China that day are definitely “signs of the time”, and are not to be taken lightly!

  3. Anne says:

    Correction:
    The 153,153th hour of the year takes place at 8:33 and 8h 33 minutes = 513 minutes permutation of ‘153’. It is the 151,151st minute of the year that takes place at 23:11 (sorry; everything about Arafat upsets me). 151 = number of Jesus Christ (if a =1, 2 = 2, c = 3…)