“O Canada” isn’t the anthem you expect to hear in Detroit, but it’s the one the city’s feeling. On Saturday, protestors united along the Detroit River to sing “O Canada” in protest against Donald Trump. Many in the city stand in solidarity against the actions of the Trump administration. The list of deeds deserving protest is long, but several involving Canada stand out. Trump’s threatening references to America’s northern neighbor and long-time ally as “the 51st state” haven’t gone over well. The implied threat of war and annexation is enough to make anyone take pause. It’s also enough to get Detroit singing.
Detroit and Canada Unite Over Canadian Anthem
Bringing back segregation? Cutting children’s cancer research? Abducting U.S. citizens and detaining them without due process? The list of Trump’s actions might read like the wild fantasies of a cartoon villain, but they’re all too real. Towns and cities like Detroit near the Canadian border are now prime targets for Trump’s detainment and deportation efforts. This week, the people of Detroit united in singing “O Canada” to send a simple message. The U.S. government might choose hostility toward Canada, but the U.S. people don’t.
A TikTok by sosdetroit about the protest song received over 37k likes and numerous supportive comments. One commenter apologized to Canadians for Trump’s actions, saying, “❤️Canada we are so sorry and ashamed of the Trump administration! Sickening!” Another kept the focus on the Trump administration’s actions, saying,
United we stand and divided we fall. They are doing everything in their power to divide us.
The U.S-Canada alliance was all but ironclad before Trump. Hostilities with America’s northern neighbor are a sign of how rabid American xenophobia has become. Trump and his team have made every effort to push away Mexico, Canada, and America’s European allies. By driving away almost every nation except Russia and Israel, American isolationism threatens people on both sides of the Detroit River. If a song can reach across that river, though, a helping hand can, too.
