Diversity Is Our Strength

I can’t believe the Global News honchos allowed those first five words to slip out.

The politics of northeastern Africa spilled over at several locations in Edmonton Saturday afternoon, prompting a huge police presence and the riot act being read in order to break up fights at a cultural gathering, soccer tournament and musical event.

“I would say today’s event in Edmonton was an unprecedented event,” Edmonton Police Service Insp. Brenda Dalziel said during a rare Saturday evening news conference. […]

The soccer match — billed as an event meant to promote world peace — instead descended into chaos Saturday afternoon, forcing the Edmonton Police Service to send in a large number of officers in tactical gear to keep two fighting sides separated.

At approximately 11 a.m., police responded to 132nd Avenue and 113A Street, where the festival and demonstration had reportedly moved to the park at Rosslyn School.

The Canada World Peace Soccer Tournament was taking place at several locations in north Edmonton on Saturday, including that park.

Fights broke out between groups of men on the field, where dozens of officers wearing tactical gear descended while the Air 1 helicopter hovered overhead.

h/t David Murrell

25 Replies to “Diversity Is Our Strength”

  1. Not exactly unprecedented. Happened before around 10 years ago when a government official from the homeland was visiting. Riot squad called to a community hall in the west end.

    1. “What’s the problem? Why the police interference?”

      Good questions, John.

      It seems the game is a bit rougher and tougher back in the old country that they left. Penalty kicks are awarded only in the event of a death. None of that wussy Kevlar padding and helmets stuff of US football.

      Heck! This didn’t look anywhere near as rough as old-school tlachtli down south of the border. The losers had their hearts cut out as a sacrifice to the Sun god. Talk about tough guys!

      https://www.britannica.com/sports/tlachtli

      So who called the cops? They shoulda just let ’em play.

  2. I’m looking forward to seeing how all of Canada’s diverse communities react when it finally becomes public knowledge that the government poisoned them and killed grandma.

    I’m sure they’ll take it well. Nary a peep.

  3. Years ago, when Trudeau “pere” was PM and the theory of official multiculturalism was invented, I sensed that we were being led down the wrong path. It made more sense to me that people who came to Canada should become Canadians, and not hyphenated creatures lugging our cultural baggage behind us. I proposed a simpler policy. New Canadians, I said, should
    (1) learn to speak English (or French if they chose to live in Quebec)
    (2) learn to drive properly
    (3) learn the rules of hockey
    Might have worked!
    (Full disclosure – my Grandad was born in Ayrshire and came to Canada in 1910. I still wear my kilt on ceremonial occasions. I have retired from hockey.)

  4. Andrew Wilkow – “When you continue to bring ‘Over There over here, how long does it take before Over Here becomes Over There?”

  5. I actually chuckled at this one – The soccer match — billed as an event meant to promote world peace.

  6. With the fringe festival going on the police could find themselves stretched to the limit when the Shakespeareans and Baconists take to the Whyte Ave. and cry havoc.

  7. “The Canada World Peace Soccer Tournament” how is that for the most oxymoronic statement of the week. I’d hazard a guess that there have been more deaths and injuries associated with the aftermath of soccer games than all other sports combined.

  8. Eritrean Festival? wot??? lol… I missed that one.

    When I worked last year in Edmonton I’d frequently end up at the Superstore on Kingsway and thought I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in an area where no one looked at all familiar.
    The people at this Eritrean Festival… looks like they shop there.

    As to the first 5 words in the Global News report, I think it’s the religions of north east Africa that are the greater problem, and the politics follow that cancer if they’re seriously still looking at “root causes”

  9. “billed as an event meant to promote world peace”.

    I wouldn’t pay that bill!!!

  10. Here’s a novel approach,

    Instead of risking Canadian policemen to stop the fighting, why don’t we just give all of the participants in the protest a freshly sharpened machete; and the people still standing at the end of the day will be deported right back to the country they left in tatters before gracing Canadian shores.

    Too harsh?
    too bad…I’m beyond caring what these animals do to each other now; as long as they do it in their OWN country; and leave ours alone.

  11. We had a similar Eritrea festival in Germany in July.
    Translation out of the article:
    “Eritrean opponents of the festival had violent clashes with the police on Saturday. They considered the cultural festival, which was organized by the Eritrean Central Council in Germany, which is close to the government, to be a propaganda event by the Eritrean government. The regulatory office of the city of Gießen had tried to ban the event, but the Hessian Administrative Court ruled in favor of the festival. During the riots, 26 police officers were injured and around 100 people were taken into custody.”

    In German:
    https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article246309376/Giessen-125-Anzeigen-bei-Eritrea-Festival-Auswaertiges-Amt-hatte-Konflikte-befuerchtet.html

Navigation