One day after Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canada, Canadian sports fans continued to jeer the US national anthem on Sunday at an NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers.
The only Canadian franchise in the NBA, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, was the venue for the game. When a 15-year-old girl began singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to the game, many supporters could be heard jeering.
She was then received with a mixture of boos and praise after finishing her song, before the crowd heartily applauded the Canadian anthem that followed.
The Associated Press reports that it comes after similar instances at NHL games throughout Canada over the weekend.
For instance, during Saturday’s Minnesota Wild vs. Ottawa Senators game, fans could be heard jeering the US anthem, with the chants becoming more and more loud as the game came to a close. The performance of “Oh Canada” that followed was met with enthusiastic applause, just like during the Raptors game.
At his Mar-a-Lago club on Saturday, Trump signed the long-promised economic policy, announcing enormous new tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. According to the Trump administration, tariffs are intended to reduce the number of illegal immigrants and drugs entering the US, but they run the risk of significantly raising prices for American customers.
Retaliatory 25 percent tariffs on US imports, which Trudeau declared hours after Trump’s action, will be “far-reaching and include everyday items,” fulfilling his pledge that Canada would swiftly and aggressively strike if the US slapped penalties. In an effort to halt the duties, the nation’s trade representatives met with representatives of the Trump administration as recently as Friday.
A Canadian, Raptors forward Chris Boucher claimed he had never heard the kind of jeering he saw before to the game.
He responded, “No, no, no,” according to AP. “But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?”
After the Toronto Raptors defeated the Clippers 115-108, head coach Darko Rajaković was asked about the jeering, but he chose not to respond.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue also declined to comment on the boos but said he sang the Canadian anthem because he “likes that song.”
