Fans at Raptors game continue trend of booing US national anthem at pro sporting events in Canada

TORONTO — Fans at a Toronto Raptors game continued an emerging trend Sunday of booing the American national anthem at pro sporting events in Canada.Fans of the NBA’s lone Canadian franchise booed the anthem after similar reactions broke out Saturday night at NHL games in Ottawa, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta, hours after US President Donald Trump made his threat of import tariffs on America’s northern neighbor reality.After initially cheering for the 15-year-old female singer, fans booed throughout “The Star-Spangled Banner” performance.At the end, mixed boos and cheers could be heard before the crowd erupted in applause for the Canadian anthem, “O Canada.”Fans also booed Sunday night when Agasha Mutesasira began her performance of the American national anthem in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday night when the NHL’s Canucks hosted the Detroit Red Wings.Raptors forward Chris Boucher, a Canadian citizen, was asked after his team’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers whether he’d ever experienced something like that.“No, no, no,” he said.

“But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?”Trump declared an economic emergency Saturday in order to place taxes of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on imports from China.Energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at a 10% rate.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s president ordered retaliatory tariffs on goods from America in response.Joseph Chua, a Toronto resident who was at the game, said he’s going to be feeling the tariffs “pretty directly” in his work as an importer.Still, he said he doesn’t think booing is “the right thing to do in this situation.” He chose to stay seated instead.“I have a bunch of American family, friends that live in the states that are Americans, we travel to America all the time, but I thought chanting, ‘Canada,’ would be a more appropriate stance,” said Chua, ...