Hundreds of people attended the second No Tyrants protest at the United States Embassy in Ottawa on Saturday, holding signs and chanting slogans against what they said were authoritarian and dictatorial actions by President Donald Trump and his administration. Read MoreThe protest outside the U.S. Embassy was organized by the activist group Indivisible Ottawa.
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The protest outside the U.S. Embassy was organized by the activist group Indivisible Ottawa.
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Hundreds of people attended the second No Tyrants protest at the United States Embassy in Ottawa on Saturday, holding signs and chanting slogans against what they said were authoritarian and dictatorial actions by President Donald Trump and his administration.
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The protest, organized by activist group Indivisible Ottawa, was one of more than 2,500 rallies expected to occur across the U.S. and Canada on the same day.
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More than five million people reportedly gathered and marched in “No Kings” protests in cities such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City and Portland, among others. The protests and rallies were largely peaceful and had a street-party vibe, according to The Associated Press.
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The Evening Citizen
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The Ottawa protest was the third anti-Trump rally in Ottawa this year. The first was part of the “Hands Off!” protests against Trump’s tariffs and statements about making Canada the 51st state. The second rally was the first “No Tyrants” protest, where participants expressed dismay at the deployment of National Guard troops to California against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Many dressed in colourful costumes on Saturday to express their sentiments in creative ways ahead of Halloween. Others waved U.S. and Canadian flags while marching around the embassy.
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Many drivers honked their horns in solidarity as they drove by.
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“Trump is doubling down on his cruel, lawless, authoritarian actions and attacks on democracy. We’re here as Canadians, as Americans, to bring joy, bring humour and show with our bodies, with our noise, that is unacceptable,” said Gem Eitel of Indivisible Ottawa, who wore a colourful wig and a witch’s cape decorated with patches.
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“It’s so beautiful … It’s great to see everyone able to be creative, bringing humour and some political satire, because we know that Donald Trump hates that. We are just going to flood the world with messages.”
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Saturday’s protests came nine months after Trump took office for his second term as U.S. president.
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Since then, there have been widespread protests against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns against immigrants. As of Sept. 23, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed it deported 2 million immigrants — 1.6 million voluntarily deported with another 400,000 forcibly removed from the U.S. to countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, among others.
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This past week, dozens of journalists turned in their Pentagon access badges rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work. News outlets were nearly unanimous in this action after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to expel journalists for reporting on information, classified or otherwise, that he did not approve prior to release.
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The protests also came as a U.S. government shutdown enters its third week. Democrats insisted that any funding bill must include help for billions of Americans who will lose health-care coverage or face higher premiums, according to The Associated Press. Trump and his cabinet have been using the shutdown to advance their priorities, including attempting to fire thousands of government workers before a federal judge blocked the move on the grounds it was politically motivated and was being carried out without much thought.
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Protesters have been calling these actions a slide into American authoritarianism and fascism, as well as attacks on democracy and freedom of speech, though prominent Republicans have denounced the protests as “Hate America” rallies.
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“There’s no way that we can ignore what is happening, because (what is happening in the U.S.) does impact us, from the rhetoric to how we’re seeing things degrade in Canada to threats to our sovereignty,” Eitel said.
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“The speed with which (Trump has) been targeting and dismantling things is just terrifying.”
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Many protesters in Ottawa dressed up in inflatable costumes, a nod to anti-ICE protests in Portland, where a person in a frog inflatable costume was pepper-sprayed by ICE officers. Some dressed as frogs, others as unicorns and dragons. A seven-year-old girl came to the protest with her mother in an inflatable costume of the Judy Hopps character from the Disney movie Zootopia.
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Sarah Fraser and Lisa Boot danced to music in inflatable frog costumes on the side of the roadway while holding anti-Trump signs.
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“When you watch all the protests happening in the States and how the inflatables were used to make it a peaceful protest, it brings humour to the situation, which then helps support the idea that Democrats are not a terrorist organization,” Boot said.
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“I think it’s important for the world to pay attention and to have a voice and to support people down in the States. It’s important to ensure that things like this couldn’t or don’t happen in Canada as well, and a lot of people have family and loved ones down in the States. This shows them support.”
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Fraser added it was important for Canadians to defend their rights every day.
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“I think solidarity is important, but we want to make sure that we’re standing up and defending and using our democratic rights every single day,” she said.
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