Update: Since this piece was published Shaw has deleted his tweets and web producer/social media manager Andrea Jerrett has apologized to Masuma Khan. Her emailed message is shared below with Khan’s permission.
“While CTV Atlantic always strives to report accurate information, in this case, our reporter did issue a tweet with incorrect information,” Jerrett writes on behalf of the CTV newsroom and news director Dan Appleby. “He quickly corrected that information in a subsequent tweet. Unfortunately, some individuals or groups have chosen not to acknowledge that correction. No matter what, the original tweet did not meet our standards and we unequivocally regret the error in our content.”
This past weekend, the United States Marine Band walked into a political protest against the very government they represent.
It was largely uneventful and likely would have passed without much consideration except for a series of inaccurate tweets from CTV.
Reporter Ron Shaw twice made the false assumption that Saturday’s protesters caused the military band to cancel a planned outdoor concert at Grande Parade.
The marines were “going to play an outdoor show…but refugee issue protesters chased them away,” Shaw tweets.
This is not true, in several important aspects.
First and foremost, there was no outdoor concert planned. While the marines were in town for the Nova Scotia Tattoo, they were only at Grande Parade looking for a group photo. A cursory glance at the Tattoo’s official schedule shows there was no outdoor performance scheduled.
What was scheduled was the protest. Activists in Halifax were joining together and speaking out on the same day as tens of thousands of other people across North America who are horrified and outraged by the Trump administration’s war on children.
Rebecca Faria’s tweets about the same incident paint a much calmer picture. After confirming the band wasn’t going to perform, she states that some protesters with signs stood next to the marines on the steps. A call-and-response chant about stolen Indigenous land was also led by Masuma Khan.
“And then the marines left,” writes Faria. “We laughed. We cheered. We went on with our afternoon.”
It’s worth noting that the marine corps’ official policy says uniforms cannot be worn at any events that further political activity:
“Marines and sailors cannot wear their uniform when participating in public speeches, demonstrations, assemblies, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or any public demonstration which may imply service sanction for a cause that furthers personal or partisan views on political, social economic or religious issues.”
Meaning that the band probably couldn’t have stayed at the protest even if they wanted to.
Shaw has still not deleted his original tweets, but he did offer a separate, non-threaded “clarification” to confirm the band was never going to play.
“But,” the reporter took great pains to note, “that doesn’t change the issues or the emotions, whatever side people take on these issues.”
But it does change those issues and emotions entirely because the reality of events is so far from the inflammatory false version first presented.
The localized portion of an international protest against the inhuman abuse of children by the United States government is briefly interrupted by polite American military members who just as quickly leave.
Compare and contrast that against the story of screaming protesters disrespecting brave men in uniform who only wanted to share music with the city they’re visiting.
Nevertheless, the damage has been done.
Shaw’s original tweets continue to be shared—provoking outrage and scorn from easily offended local politicians and angry internet commenters. Those aggressive thugs band together in shaming the protesters while begging for civility towards military guests who are visiting Canada from a country currently committing gross and obscene crimes against humanity
It’s something of a minor miracle that the story hasn’t been picked up more by the right-wing media rebels who normally feast on this sort of inaccurate theatre.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Khan—the most visible person at the protest—hasn’t spent the last few days receiving personal threats for her role in the day’s events.
“Since you hate Canada so much why not move to a Muslim majority country where your [sic] not allowed to go outside without a make [sic] guardian?” Calgary electrician Chris Holowenczak writes to her on Facebook. “You can practice your evil ideology there. Or are you only here to bleed out [sic] welfare system dry like all the other muzrats?”
The truth of Saturday doesn’t matter to people who’ve already made up their minds, but the framing of the story can do a lot to hold back or provoke more intolerance.
During these times of heightened irrational hatred, a special responsibility and care are needed to ensure accurate information gets out.
Otherwise, we cause very real harm to the people choosing to stand up for the safety of others.
Opinionated is a rotating column by Halifax writers featured regularly in The Coast. The views published are those of the author.
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Good piece, Jacob.
For starters, HRM did not issue a permit for the June 30 rally. The article diverts attention from the fact that those in attendance yelled and shouted at the visitors from the US Marine band. The Grand Parade is HRM property, and the band had every right to have their group photo taken peacefully, without being harassed.
The irony. “war on children” Jacob Boon should apologize for such bias and inaccurate rhetoric
From the perspective of someone who was there: I was there watching as these events unfolded, and I dont know what angle Rebecca Faria was watching from, but I can assure you there was no civil confirming the band wasnt going to perform. That is simply untrue. As for the part of her tweet describing protesters with signs stood next to the marines on the steps, that is true. However she forgot to mention that the protesters aggressively shouted practically over the marines shoulders as they stood next to them. And as for the last part of Farias tweet that reads: And then the marines left, We laughed. We cheered. We went on with our afternoon. She forgets to mention that the laughing and cheering was clearly in celebration for driving the marines away. These are the events I witnessed from about 20 meters away, described less misleadingly than that of Farias tweet.
I am a liberal person; I believe in the causes of our first nations and indigenous people. And I agree that draconian immigration practices that separate immigrant children and parents is abhorrently cruel and needs to be stopped. But these worthy causes were hindered not helped by the actions of the protesters in question. You can spin however you want but I was there, and I know what I witnessed. The protesters were there for an original purpose, but when they saw the band wearing military uniforms, their purpose quickly changed from protesting for indigenous peoples and immigrants rights, to shaming the band and making them leave. And when the protesters achieved this goal, they celebrated by laughing and cheering.
They most likely didnt even know the band was American, but they sure recognized it was military, and so they quickly redirected their efforts towards them. Why their new cause changed to protesting the mere existence of military members in their presence, they probably didnt know that either. But they did achieve the goal of their new cause. They forced the marines to leave. After celebrating their accomplishment they resumed the original purpose of their protest. However in achieving their unplanned goal they damaged their original goal more than they may ever realize.
This new breed of protester, which is becoming more and more common, is misguided, nave and dangerous to the very causes liberal people value. Their disgraceful behavior made me (someone who believes in those who fight for those causes) resent them. And believe me, I am not the only one. This type of behavior is alienating their liberal allies, and driving moderately-minded people and potential allies to the right.
And when this story broke, instead of admit they were wrong and publicly apologize, the protesters involved doubled down by making excuses, defending and downplaying their actions. And this defending and downplaying response was echoed by like-minded people, like Rebecca Farias tweet and Jacob Boons article in The Coast.
Let there be no mistake; this behavior was wrong and defending it is wrong. It has, and continues to hurt the efforts of liberal causes and those defending it are delegitimizing their honesty as objective observers.
The behavior of this new breed of protester is protesting for the sake of protesting, it is shallow, nave and disingenuous. And most importantly it is self-defeating by driving away allies and potential supporters resulting in the political landscape we find ourselves in today. It has helped affirm the far-right, and helps people like Donald Trump and Doug Ford get elected. The consequences have been impactful and will be long lasting. There will inescapably soon be a conservative majority on the supreme court of the USA by 5 to 4. This will most likely last for a generation or more as SC Justices can serve for life.
To put this in perspective gay marriage was passed by the Supreme Court by 5-4 Justices. Thats a one Justice margin, meaning if that case were tried today it would have went the other way. That means that any case like that for the next generation most likely will not pass. It also means causes like abortion rights, gay rights, trans rights are now all at high risk for the next generation.
This could very possibly could become 6 to 3 conservative majority, if the 85 year old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg either retires or dies in the next 6 years, furthering the conservative majority for the next 2 generations. Or to put it in other terms; the rest of the most of our lives. That is reality now, and there is nothing any of us can do about it.
Those are the real and long lasting consequences alienating your allies and driving away support contributes to.
And notice how I said the next 6 years with regard to Justice Ginsburg, thats because I believe that if the self-defeating contributions, of those who are currently our most visible liberal representations, is of any indication; Trump will be elected for a second term.
These consequences happening south of the border are reflective of where we headed here at home in Canada. There is no doubt in my mind that the Tories will win a majority government in 2019. And when Andrew Scheer is PM and enacts the conservatives policies for the majority of the 2020s, these protesters will find themselves with things to really protest about.
These are the real consequences that behavior like that of the protesters from last weekend and those who defend and downplay it have and are continuing to contribute to. Its self-defeating, dangerous to the real victories rational minded liberals fought for and is hurting us by making us get associated with it.
To view my response to this article (that those at The Coast are apparently too afriad to let me post) check out the comments section of this story on The Coast’s Facebook page.
Matt Whitman has officially apologized to the USMC for the behavior of some Haligonians after the original “tweet” and story leaked, but refuses to acknowledge the Coast’s article written here by Jacob Boon as real news, for as Whitman states, the Coast is “satire”.
Sorry Jacob but one only needs to watch the video from CTV in which Masuma Khan comes right out and says why they targeted the Marine Band and to know that this wasn’t some False Outrage by those of us who were disgusted by it. “We wanted to make a point to these folks who are here protecting ah people that they need to start focusing on protecting these children” Yes, those are her words. So who was she making a point to? A point made by coming up behind, beside them while yelling, shouting and holding the protest signs. That doesn’t even include the jubilations made by the protesters as the Marine band left. I don’t need a tweet to tell me what happened, the video is pretty clear, the dialogue by Masuma Khan is pretty clear and the response by the other protesters cheering shows, is all pretty clear, I mean why were they cheering? Did they win some argument, contest or something? They were cheering that they won making the Marines leave and no amount of spin by you, Jacob Boon and The Coast is going to change that.
I will give you credit for finding the dress code of conduct for our Marines, but I strongly suggest you go back and reread it. For one, they were not participants in the protest and there is nothing in the dress code of conduct that says they cannot be around a political protest just that they cannot wear them when “participating” in such events. In this case they were not active or willing participants in the SJW hoo haa.