Tulip Festival In Canada’s National Capitol Excludes Canadian Band Because Of Their Religion
It appears that Barbados is not the only country crawling on its knees for Communist Chinese money…
From epochtimes.com…
“O Canada” – Censored
OTTAWA—When is it okay to ban someone from playing “O Canada” in our nation’s capital? When the clothing they wear might upset Chinese communists.
That’s exactly what happened at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa on Friday evening.
Having invited the Tian Guo Marching Band to perform “O Canada,” and “The Maple Leaf Forever,” the band was barred from the stage mere minutes before the opening ceremony was to begin.
Band members were told that if they wanted to perform, they had to remove their hats, scarves and jackets that display the words “Falun Dafa.”
However, soon after that the band was informed that their performance was cancelled altogether and the police were called.
The problem? The Chinese embassy had a tent at the festival, and festival organizers were concerned that the presence of the band, which is composed of Falun Gong practitioners, would “upset” embassy officials…
… continue reading this article at The Epoch Times (link here)
19 Comments
May 9, 2008 at 8:49 pm
lol, but just cause the festival in Ottawa does not mean that the Government of Canada is running it ya kno
plus look America on the wane, China is the superpower in waiting. It aint too early to start sucking up. Thompson know wha side he bread buttered on boy.
May 9, 2008 at 8:58 pm
though it is a news-worthy story, it’s not exactly “censoring the national anthem”. Falun Dafa is a massive controversy (and a separate discussion) and having Falun Dafa symbols all over the band is something that foolish administrations would get worried about.
I’m not condoning it, I just think this article is a bit sensational.
May 9, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Would the local Boy Scouts band have to remove who they are? The local church band or Sikh-Canadian Marching Band have had to remove their uniforms and markings?
What is “controversial” about the Falun Dafa band except that the Chinese government has been imprisoning members of this religion in China?
This was a disgusting setting aside of religious freedom in Canada so as to not offend the commies.
In other times Jewish bands were not allowed to play in front of German consulate officials I suppose!
May 9, 2008 at 10:31 pm
When it starts to happen in Barbados, don’t be surprised.
May 9, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I live in Ottawa. I know the story. (The Epoch Times is a left wing community paper, given out free.) The band was using the Tulip Festival, put on by the City of Ottawa, as a protest forum. This is not allowed. They got acceptance to perform as a Chinese community band, not as Falun Gong. The decision was the right one. If this was not nipped in the bud, we would be seeing bands expressing “Jews out of Palestine”, “America out of Iraq”, “Barbados beaches for Bajans” etc. This is a social occasion and not the time nor place to make political statements about China and its government. Enough said.
*************
BFP says
Hi Pat
Thanks for the input. I don’t quite understand how they were “protesting” other than wearing their uniforms identifying them as Falun Gong. I take it that all Church bands will be banned then? Or is it just this band made up of members of a specific religion that will be banned?
May 9, 2008 at 11:50 pm
BFP says
Hi Pat
Thanks for the input. I don’t quite understand how they were “protesting” other than wearing their uniforms identifying them as Falun Gong. I take it that all Church bands will be banned then? Or is it just this band made up of members of a specific religion that will be banned?
—————————————————————–
BFP on this one it looks like you didn’t do any research before jumping to conclusions, the Falun Gong have been protesting outside the Chinese Embassy in NYC and in the City Hall area for years rain or shine. Pat, thanks for your input. A family event is not the place for a political protest…whether or not the Chinese are right or wrong.
****************
BFP says
Well… I guess that’s it then. No musical bands playing at any festival shall identify themselves as being associated with any religion.
That should take care of it, shouldn’t it?
Or… once again, is it only this particular religion that should be banned from playing at the tulip festival.
And once again, just how were they protesting other than being there?
May 10, 2008 at 12:20 am
Do the research and you will see.
As Pat said there was cause for the festival organizers to believe that there might be an inappropriate incident that was not in the spirit of the festival, furthermore the Falun Gong were not upfront with the organizers when they asked to join the festival.
*******************
BFP Says
Was there cause to believe that there might be an “inappropriate incident”? What cause would that be and what kind of “incidents” have there been anywhere in the past associated with this band or the members?
I’m certainly willing to listen, but it still looks like pandering to the Commies to me.
May 10, 2008 at 12:34 am
“This is a principle issue. We’re Canadian citizens. I thought we were a multicultural society,” Lucy Zhou, whose 12-year-old son plays in the band, said yesterday.
Practitioners of Falun Gong, which combines meditation and exercises with Buddhist and Taoist principles, regularly protest alleged human rights abuses against members by the Chinese government. The Chinese government has outlawed Falun Gong.
May 10, 2008 at 2:48 am
BFP, GreenBB:
The Salvation Army Band, my son’s band “the Gloucester Community Concert Band”, and other bands have and will be performing.
The fact is, the Falun Gong were deceptive when they applied to play. They did not state that they were Falun Gong, but a Chinese community band, then turned up dressed as Falun Gong. Sihk bands who apply to play as Sihks are allowed, Hindu dancers say they are Hindu, Scottish bagpipe bands identify, etc., etc.
If Falun Gong had good intentions, and were proud of their religion, they should have applied as the Falun Gong. If they had done that and refused without justifiable reason, then they would have had recourse under the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So, two wrongs do not make a human Right. This is Canada not China.
The Falun Gong protest almost every weekend outside the Chinese Embassy here in Ottawa, when they are not on Parliament Hill. They are free to do that and are not harassed by anyone.
The Tulip Festival attracts thousands of tourists from all over North America and further afield. It is not the time nor place to mount political protests. This could have turned into a major embarrassment for the City and cost us future tourist $$$.
May 10, 2008 at 12:37 pm
We do live in strange times when it seems that everything has been turned upside down. Canada bends over backwards to accommodate all cultures and ethnicities – which in theory is commendable. But I have no doubt that in the not too distant future it will all come back to bite them on their “tokhes”.
May 10, 2008 at 1:04 pm
BFP…do you guys and gals ever have the testicular fortitude to just come out and say sorry or we were wrong on this one?
We know it is your blog and you can do whatever you like but in this case , I really think that in your haste to be sensational, you are starting to look like the same mainstream media who you are always harping about. A little research would have helped you in this case but you were all to eager to knock China and were salivating at this opportunity.
Thanks Pat for your input, it really does make you understand the issue better when you have more information.
******************
BFP says
We’ll just have to agree to disagree Technician. If the people organising the tulip festival in 1939 wanted to ban the Jewish musical group because they might mention the Nazi death camps, I guess that’s their business.
May 10, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Let m’ tell ya, the opinionated superciliousness that characterises the thin skinned likes of Tony Marshall, Michael Browne and David Ellis is popping up right here in wordpress land. Had to happen
May 10, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Prostitution has its price.
In this case it is the Chinese renmimbi and not the US dollar.
It is a sad state of affairs that a religious group based on Buddhism meditation and exercise can be silenced by a corrupt and brutal authoritarian technocracy just because they won’t remain silent.
Buddhism has a much longer history in China than this latest group of autocratic “thugs”.
Shame on Canada!!!
May 10, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I have just one concern with the ‘going to bed with China”. Are we becoming a satellite of China or the words from the Great Errol Barrow ‘of a satellite of none’ is falling on deaf ears.
May 10, 2008 at 7:48 pm
When you consider that the Chinese Embassy and it’s “officials” are in Canada as the guests of the Canadian Government and that Canada is supposedly built on it’s tolerance of religious freedom for all, the whole incident is laughable. Why should the Chinese receive any preferential treatment when on Canadian soil? When in Rome……..
The Chinese are free to do as they like in their own country but how dare they dictate to the Canadian government what we will do in ours? It goes against the grain of the Canadian constitution which protects the right to freedom of speech and expression. It galls me that the Chinese are being pandered to by various governments because of the multi-national corporations that have so much money invested in China.
However, BFP, the headline used for this story is way over the top and not only inaccurate but deceiving as well.
***************
BFP says,
So, can anyone tell us… was the national anthem played at the opening by some other band?
May 10, 2008 at 8:20 pm
BFP: The Falun Gong could have been set to play “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and the end result would have been the same.
May 10, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I was at the gym to see Earth Wind and Fire perform at the jazz festival (ah don’ think BFP would know ta much ’bout EWF, no BFP not Chicago, EWF …) and the show began without the singing of the national anthem. It was quickly interrupted by a group of people in the back who started to sing the anthem on their own. They were quickly joined by the rest of the crowd and what a time was had by all. Better to do it yourself I say. Either leave this gutter politics line alone or be fair across the board.
May 11, 2008 at 7:18 pm
PiedPiper:
The Canadian Government has no involvement with the Tulip Festival. It is a local event. Organized and paid for by the City of Ottawa. Namely, the property tax payers of this City and corporate and other sponsors. It is true that the Chinese are guests in this country, but you do not invite a guest to your house and have someone who turned up under false pretences embarrass/insult them.
BFP:
The opening ceremonies of the Tulip Festival never has a ‘community band’ playing O Canada. The opening ceremonies is a formal do with many dignitaries in attendance especially the Ambassadors and High Commisoners from those countries who are sponsors. It is led by the Mayor of the City and the Councillors whom we elect to manage this City for us.
The massed band of the DND Forces, the Governor General Foot Guards, the Princess Patricia’s Pipes and Drums, the RCMP or such, and in some cases a combination provide the music at the opening. Sometimes the massed choirs of the Ottawa District School Board are in attendance.
The year the Netherlands, who donates the flowers, is being profiled with the KLM Band in attendance. They would have been at the opening ceremonies.
The Falun Gong was performing at the International Pavillion which is sponsored by foreign countries. Countries with Embassies and community groups participating this year are: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, European Union, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Thailand and Turkey.
With the foreign dignitaries present, the Falun Gong wanted to make this a political protest, wearing clothes with the Falun Gong symbols. Most of the community groups performing at the pavillion have links to the sponsors. Other groups, Canadian like my sons band, perform at the Dows Lake Pavillion where most of the tulips are grown. Falun Gong could have performed as the Falun Gong at the Canadian Pavillion at Dows Lake. They got onto the schedule of the International Pavillion as a Chinese Community Band. However, they are not affiliated with the Embassy nor China, who is a sponsor of the International Pavillion this year.
The Falun Gong is sneaky and misleading. So much so, that they may end up losing sympathy with the residents of this City. During a Chinese New Year Celebration show at the National Arts Centre last year, they pulled the same stunt. They apparently were sponsors of the show but never publicized this so people bought tickets and went to see a proper Chinese show to be faced during the program with a Falum Gong protest right on stage. Give us a break!
They may even have gotten away with performing at Asian night, but they refused to take off their jackets and scarves with the Falun Gong logos.
Caribbean night was May 2, African night May 9th, did any of us turn up wearing signs of anything? It does not mean we do not have grievances, but there is a time and place for everything.
Neither the Mayor, Councillors nor the residents of this Capital City have any bones to pick with the Falun Gong. Why then do they try to embarrass us like that? They are not harrassed. They worship freely here, and protest as often as they want. Suppose the Palestinians turned up when the Israeli envoy was there with placards or t-shirts saying “Jews out of Palestine”, “Palestine for Palestinians” and were removed what would you say BFP? Israel is also a sponsor this year and it is big as this is their 60th birthday celebrations.
The Falun Gong was wrong and are still WRONG.
******************
BFP say,
Hi Pat,
Robert here. I see your point and agree with much of it. Marcus, Clive and Shona might have a different idea. George won’t care one way or the other.
I also understand that Marcus and especially Cliverton view the Communists like Nazis and on many levels I agree with that comparison.
May 16, 2008 at 12:37 am
Well Falun Gong will be playing this year at the Tulip Festival after all. They will be performing on Sunday from 1-2:00pm at the Dows Lake Pavillion. Where they should have been playing in the first place. They have a 70 strong band. I make go and take them in and see the tulips at the same time. They should have a good crowd, Dows Lake is the centre of the festival, everyone goes there to see the masses and masses of tulips. Many thousands more than visit the international pavillion.