Dual anti-ICE protests in Vancouver partly become a celebration

There were two anti-ICE protests planned in Vancouver on Friday, but one turned into a celebration.

Two B.C. businesses were the focus of the protests due to their ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

However, one protest was scrapped after Jim Pattison Developments confirmed on Friday morning that it will not be moving forward with its sale of a warehouse in Ashland, Va, to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“In moments like these, it shines a bright light on corporate ties between Canada and (U.S. President Donald) Trump’s administration,” Emily Lowen, the leader of the BC Green Party, said.

“And I think there is a collective sense that the actions we’re seeing now are morally reprehensible.”

A protest was still held outside Vancouver’s Hootsuite headquarters.

Hootsuite has a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to provide social media services.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

A group called Democracy Rising planned the protest outside the Hootsuite headquarters on Friday, asking for the company to end all contracts with ICE immediately, commit to no further work enabling detention, deportation, or family separation and to disclose all government and law enforcement partnerships publicly.

“The road to fascism is paved with business as usual, “Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon with Democracy Rising said.

“We can’t expect to function in a good society without members of that society, including companies making decisions based on a moral and ethical line, not simply the bottom line.”

Irina Novoselsky, Hootsuite’s CEO, stated in a press release that, “Beyond how painful it has been to process the current situation on a personal level, we have also felt the concern expressed about Hootsuite’s work with ICE’s public affairs office.”

“We’ve worked with government organizations across countries and administrations for more than 15 years, including the U.S. government. Our use-case with ICE does not include tracking or surveillance of individuals using our tools. Any claim otherwise is false and prohibited under our terms of service, which we actively enforce.

“Our technology makes public conversation visible at scale. It helps organizations understand what people are saying using unbiased, authentic social data – this helps them understand how people are feeling, and where trust is being earned or lost. Today more than ever, organizations need to hear more from the public, not less. Our responsibility is to ensure those voices remain visible. We work with a wide range of organizations because listening to real conversations leads to insights that drive better decisions and accountability, without endorsing specific actions or policies.

“We understand this is a complex issue and that people will hold strong opinions. Our responsibility is to our customers, to the clear standards that govern how our technology is used, and to ensuring public conversation can be understood responsibly and at scale.”