Boos erupted during the American national anthem at a basketball game in Canada on Sunday (local time), amid anger over President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imports from the country.
The performance of The Star-Spangled Banner before the Toronto Raptors’ home NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers was met with loud boos from Canadian sports fans at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
This incident echoed a similar reaction the day before at a National Hockey League game between the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators.
Ottawa’s crowd loudly booed during the US anthem, only to follow it with enthusiastic applause for Canada’s national anthem, O Canada.
The protests seem to be connected to Trump’s announcement on Saturday that he would impose broad tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, citing a “major threat” from illegal immigration and drugs.
Canada has expressed its intent to challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and seek compensation under a regional free trade agreement.
Following the tariffs’ announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the actions taken by the White House “split us apart instead of [brought] us together” and announced a matching 25 per cent tariff of up to US$155 billion ($253 billion) on US imports, including alcohol and fruit.
Trump has also suggested that Canada should become a US state, claiming the US subsidises Canada “hundreds of billions of dollars” and that without this financial support, Canada would not remain a viable country.