'Hatred Isn't a Policy I Want to Support'

This interview is part of Broadly's Voices Against the Ban series. You can read more of these voices here.

Alison, 31, Anshuman, 33, and Bree, 29, Toronto

Broadly: Why do you oppose Trump's immigration orders?

Bree: We're human beings, we care about others, and hatred isn't a policy I want to support and if there's anything I can do to push back against that and put my body and my voice in the place of others who can't do that because I have the privilege of being safe to do that I'm here for that reason, to show that it's not something that I want to see in my country and I stand in solidarity with those in the states who oppose Trump's hatred and his insane policies down there.

Anshuman: Trump's basically exploiting our fears to gain more power and we're seeing that rhetoric and that language here in full force. Let's be real, Islamophobia isn't new to Canada. It's been here forever but it's being legitimized with such speed that it was unheard of. Kelly Leitch essentially tweets like Trump. She has his unhinged rhetoric and syntax down to a science. We need to show people that Canada is not like that, that we won't stand for this. This is of course the bare minimum but if we keep doing these actions, hopefully people will notice and say we gotta take a stand.

Bree: I don't know how to follow up on that. Basically exactly what they said, just standing against politics of hate, politics of fear that what's happening down south is not the country that we want up here and it's a cause to fight for what we believe in.

Does the ban affect any of you guys or your loved ones?

Anshuman: A lot of brown people, people who are Muslim, are affected by this, affected by proxy. We're at the point right now where those mobilized to act and do harm to others, they don't care where you're from. They'll see brown skin, they'll see black skin, they'll see a hijab and act accordingly. This affects everyone.

Alison: Absolutely. People that I love, people that I know are very fearful and see the hatred in the air that's made them anxious to consider travel, worry about their families, and that's not something that we can stand for. Having my friends anxious about going outside and going to work because of the climate that might be out there, that someone who might approach them, or the language that's being used in Canadian politics let alone American, this climate of fear and anxiety that it's perpetuating is something we really need to push back against. It is affecting people that I know directly and actively. People haven't been able to sleep for 15 days now.

If you could say one thing to Trump about these orders it would be…

Bree: How dare you?

Alison: General fuck you.

Anshuman: Yup.

This interview has been edited and condensed.