Protesters rally against Premier Brad Wall's stance on Syrian refugees
About 75 people rallied outside the legislature on Tuesday afternoon to send a message
People rallied at the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina Tuesday in response to comments made by Premier Brad Wall about the federal government's refugee plan.
On Monday, citing security concerns, Wall urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rethink plans to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of the year.
Wall said in the wake of last week's Paris killings, he wants to see a "redoubling" of security checks before the refugees are brought into Canada.
About 75 people rallied outside the legislature to let the premier know they disagree with his request to suspend the Syrian refugee plan.
Fartun Mohamud was holding a sign that said, "Brad Wall does not speak for me."
"I'm concerned about the Syrian crisis and Brad Wall making the statements that he did yesterday regarding Canada should suspend its Syrian refugees coming in to Canada," Mohamud said. "Him saying that just perpetuated the hate that's going on in Canada already."
Maria Aman and her family came to Canada as refugees from Eritrea. Aman wants Syrian refugees to get the same warm welcome she did.
"We were welcomed with so much love and overall compassion by the people here in Regina and just thinking that other people, especially others that have it so much worse, are being seen in the way they are being seen right now, it just really troubles me," she said.
Aman is currently a student at the University of Regina. She said the main goal is to resettle refugees dealing with so many issues.
"We don't want the things that are happening overseas to affect the momentum and the good spirit that we had," she said.
Not everyone there supported the protesters. One bystander noted he supported Wall's position.
Meanwhile, a petition circulated online asking the federal government to stop resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada. Several people from Saskatchewan have signed the petition.