The “Hands Off!” rally was part of the Global Day of Action against the Trump administration.
Despite the cold and rainy day, hundreds of people gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy on Saturday afternoon to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic and political policies.
The “Hands Off!” rally was part of the Global Day of Action against the Trump administration, with rallies and protests scheduled in all 50 U.S. states as well as cities around the world like Toronto and Paris.
Protesters in Ottawa met at the steps next to the embassy and marched from there to Major’s Hill Park. Ottawa Police Service officers at the scene estimated that 200-300 protesters participated in the rally.
Jay Baltz, one of the rally’s organizers, said the “chaos” being experienced in the United States was “spilling, in a big way, into Canada.” He mentioned Trump’s tariffs and a crackdown on illegal immigration as examples, as well as previous presidential social-media posts referring to Canada as the 51st state.
“I think a lot of people here are Americans, dual citizens or permanent residents who are really upset what’s going on down there,” Baltz told the Ottawa Citizen.
“Trump is threatening Canada’s sovereignty by calling (us) the 51st state and threatening to invade and it’s brought a lot of people out here … People here are not happy with what’s going on down there in any way.”
Protesters expressed similar views.
Colin Best, a 37-year-old from Ottawa, expressed distress over the U.S. political landscape. He said the growing fear of a constitutional crisis and the clawback on abortion rights in the U.S. pushed him to join the rally on Saturday.
The Evening Citizen
“Even in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think we would see something this sickening and terrifying happen so quickly,” Best said. “I think it’s important that people who live in parts of the world where they’re able to and feel safe (protesting) should take the time to come out and show their solidarity. Our American friends and neighbours don’t want any of this nonsense any more than we do.
“It’s been sort of a death by a thousand cuts with (Trump) and his cronies ever since his inauguration … This is what the rollback of democratic freedom looks like, and people need to resist it.”
Ann Waters expressed concerns over sweeping cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made to U.S. government departments over the past three months. In a social media post early Saturday, DOGE claimed to have cut 63 “wasteful” contracts amounting to around $124 million US in savings.
“I think (Americans) are losing their democracy with Elon Musk running everything, and he’s not even elected,” Waters said.
Waters said she was also concerned about tariffs. Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday — dubbed “Liberation Day” by his administration — on imports from dozens of countries. Canada and Mexico were excluded from the list published by the White House, but Canadian goods have already been hit with tariffs twice this year.
“He’s disrupted the whole world order (and the economy). I don’t know how one man can do all this damage in three months that he’s been president. It’s just the first time in my life that I’ve been in a situation where there’s been a (trade) war, so I’m here to protest that,” she added.
Best, Waters and Baltz all hoped that U.S. Embassy employees would take note of the protest.
“I think there’s plenty of folks who work in that building who probably are as sickened as we are about everything that’s going on, and there’s other people who support (Trump) and everything he stands for, which I find shocking,” Best said.
“Right now, it’s waving signs, and I hope that’s as far as it ever has to get.”
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