Nigeria accuses Canadian Govt, Twitter of hypocrisy
The Nigerian government has accused the Canadian government and micro-blogging site, Twitter of hypocrisy.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said this at a briefing on Sunday.
He said the Canadian government has labelled truckers blocking roads as “terrorists or insurrectionists”.
He added the protesters are facing “a number of clampdowns by government and private organisations.”
Mohammed also cited crowdfunding company GoFundMe shutting down the protesters campaign to raise funds, after they already raised over $10 million.
On its part, Twitter, Mohammed said, has suspended the truckers account, while the Ontario government has frozen access to millions of dollars donated through online fundraising platform GiveSendGo to the protesters.
“Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, has also declared a state of emergency in the city in response, saying the protests posed a threat to residents’ safety,” Mohammed said.
“Recall, gentlemen, that during the EndSARS protest, which culminated in the blockage of public roads and massive destruction of government and private property, Canada was one of the countries that spoke out in support of the protesters.
“Recall also that Twitter actively supported the EndSars protesters and even helped them to raise fund while GoFundMe was used to raise funds for the protests.”
According to Mohammed, these are the same entities “that are now rushing to distance themselves from the protesters in Canada and even denying them the use of their platforms.
“This is similar to what played out during the January 6th 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol In Washington, D.C. where those involved are either still being investigated or have been charged to court. I don’t blame them. Nobody wants their country destroyed under the guise of protests.”
“Don’t misunderstand this intervention. We are not gloating over the unfortunate development in Canada. But we are only calling attention to the double standards involved in the way protesters deemed to be violent are perceived in Nigeria and in the West.
“Those who referred to the hoodlums who destroyed public and private property in Nigeria under the guise of EndSARS as peaceful protesters have tagged similar protesters in their own countries as insurrectionists and terrorists. This glaring double standard should not be lost on all Nigerians.