We are the world

Man on the street reaction to yesterday’s Tamil protest in downtown Ottawa.

In Ottawa, the protesters were apologetic about snarling the Tuesday afternoon rush hour, but said they had no other choice. As buses lined the westbound Transitway behind the Rideau Centre, commuters were not so understanding.

“They want our help and they create chaos? It shouldn’t be allowed,” Sandy Craig said. “It angers me. I’m for helping people but there should be a better way.”

Bettina Serventi called the effort “immature.” “Why disrupt the city when you can do other things?” She said she didn’t “have a clue” about what was going on in Sri Lanka, but yesterday’s protest did not make her want to know.

Nathalie Bernard was just trying to get home after a long day of work. “It’s pissing me off,” she said as she stared at the buses. “I don’t care what they’re doing, they’re disrupting my sleep.”