- Title: Toronto protesters demand Canadian govt help rescue stranded Afghans
- Date: 29th August 2021
- Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (AUGUST 28, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS AGAINST THE TALIBAN TAKEOVER OF AFGHANISTAN MARCHING THROUGH TORONTO FROM CITY HALL, MANY HOLDING AFGHAN FLAGS AND CHANTING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS STANDING AND HOLDING SIGNS AND CHANTING YOUNG WOMAN WAIVING LARGE AFGHAN FLAG PROTESTERS WITH FISTS IN THE AIR (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER SCHOHAIB MEHRAN SAYING: "We want to make sure that the Afghan situation is not forgotten and at the same time that there is accountability. We need the Canadian government, all three parties, to ensure that enough sufficient aid is going to our Afghan people and our allies who have helped out. But at the same time, that the Taliban do not get away with what they have done previously in the past to the Afghan people." VARIOUS OF WOMAN IN HIJAB CHANTING PROTEST SLOGANS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER MUSKA STANAKZAI SAYING ABOUT THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT: "We want them to take action. We want them to extend the deadline (for evacuations). August 31st is not acceptable. And not only that. They decided to end the evacuations five days earlier which was just on Thursday. That's unacceptable. Our families are still stuck there. I survived when it happened the first time around. I don't know if my cousins are going to survive this. I don't know if the rest of the Afghans are going to survive this. So we expect them to start the evacuations again and to extend it."
- Embargoed: 12th September 2021 04:16
- Keywords: Afghan Canadians Afghanistan Canada Kabul Taliban Toronto protest
- Location: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
- City: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
- Country: USA
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,United States,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001ESC0U2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of people marched through Toronto on Saturday (August 28) to protest the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and to demand that the Canadian government do more to help stranded Afghans still trying to leave.
The protesters marched from city hall, many waving large Afghan flags, chanting slogans for Afghan freedom, and calling on Canada and its allies not to forget the Afghans still trying to evacuate out of the country.
The U.S. and allies are hurrying to evacuate as many people from Afghanistan as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline. Canadian forces in Kabul ended evacuation efforts for their citizens and Afghans on Thursday (August 26), acting chief of the defense staff General Wayne Eyre said.
He said Canada had evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of about 3,700 Canadian and Afghan citizens.
But protesters in Toronto wanted those evacuations to resume, saying the deadline didn't offer enough time to help everyone in need.
"Our families are still suffering there... I don't know if my cousins are going to survive this," protester Muska Stanakzai told Reuters. "So we expect them to start the evacuations again and to extend it," she said.
(Production: Mana Rabiee) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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