Ezra Levant warns of Hong Kong’s violent escalation as 2 million protest Beijing’s extradition law, demanding legal independence and mask rights. Cathay Pacific’s CEO resigned after defying China’s demands, while HSBC froze dissident accounts—Beijing’s crackdown mirrors past brutality. The U.S. passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, but Levant urges Canada to accept protesters as refugees, citing their Western alignment over Syrian/Somali arrivals. Meanwhile, Kian Bexty confronts Ron McLean at his honorary degree ceremony, pushing a 90,000-signature petition for fired co-host Don Cherry, exposing tensions between free speech and institutional backlash. The episode frames dissent as both a global crisis and a domestic debate over values. [Automatically generated summary]
Tonight, Justin Trudeau's refugee policy has been a failure.
Should we try bringing some Hong Kong democracy activists instead?
It's November 20th, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.
Why should others go to jail when you're the biggest carbon consumer I know?
There's 8,500 customers here, and you won't give them an answer.
The only thing I have to say to the government about why I publish it is because it's my bloody right to do so.
Hello, I'm on the road again doing this show from, well, near a bunch of bushes, really.
I'm traveling in Alberta.
Tonight is the second of our two Wexit debates.
Last night's was great.
Tonight's is sold out.
It's literally sold out, which means there's a lot of interest in it.
You can watch it on YouTube.
We're streaming it live just after 6 p.m. Mountain Time, which is just after 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
And of course, if you miss it live, it'll be on our YouTube page after that.
We've got Lauren Gunter, the senior columnist for the Edmonton Sun, as well as myself, Kian Bexty, and Sheila Gunread.
It's going to be great.
Lots of Q ⁇ A from the audience.
Last night was a great event.
I'd like to talk about something else, though, because I see out of the corner of my eye things in Hong Kong getting worse by the day.
Now, you might remember that a few months ago, we sent our friend Avi Yamini from Australia to Hong Kong to report on the start of these democracy protests.
As you may recall, it came about from a proposed law that would allow Communist China to extradite free Hong Kong people to mainland China, where obviously they would never be seen from again.
This was seen as a great incursion on the rule of law and the separation of the Communist Party system in mainland China from the rule of law, independent courts system in Hong Kong.
It sounds rather obscure, an extradition law, but everyone in Hong Kong knew that was the camel's nose in the tent.
And so literally 2 million people took to the streets in a city of barely 8 million.
Imagine a quarter of all people, which is about a third of all adults protesting.
It was massive, but China, especially under Xi Jinping, dug in its heels.
But for the first weeks, maybe even months, the protests in Hong Kong had a celebratory feel to them, almost a festival feel, at least how it looked like to me here in North America.
Let me show you some of the clips that Avi Yamini showed us that I think prove that.
Nothing seemed particularly violent or dangerous.
It was polite Hong Kong people protesting and polite Hong Kong police responding.
There wasn't a whiff of danger.
Rather, it felt wonderful.
Take a look.
This is our duty to fight against something like Nazi.
If we don't fight here now, we're lost forever.
It's no more Hong Kong.
There were some interesting things that Avi learned and we learned from him.
For example, the five demands that the democracy protesters had.
Here they are.
Do you know the five demands, Oshai?
So the first thing is we want the extradition law to be completely withdrawn.
So Caroline has not been promising to withdraw it.
So we really want the government to reply to that.
Secondly, we want to set up an independent inquiry to the police because they've been very brutal to the protester.
So we want an independent investigation and then have the corresponding outcome that is suitable in response to the police brutality.
And the third thing is we want the release of all the protesters that have been arrested for flee.
We want universal suffrage to be implemented, which is promised by the basic law.
So our Hong Kong people want to choose our own chief executive.
The fifth one is that we want the classification of riot to be withdrawn as well because we are not rioters and a lot of the protests are peaceful, but then they got wrongly classified as riot.
So we want that to be withdrawn as well.
So we want the government.
At the moment, what is rioters defined as?
Basically, even for the 12th of June protest, the government has defined it as a riot.
But then we haven't killed anyone.
We didn't do any indiscriminate damage or attack to civilians like the police or the gangs did.
And we are simply being very peaceful, sitting in or light rallying for our five demands to be answered.
Remember, of course, that Hong Kong was governed by the British for more than a century.
And there are some Hong people who long for those days.
Remember this guy?
He wants the British government to come back and rule us again.
We don't want the Chinese government to rule us anymore.
You want the British to come back?
Yes, of course.
The Chinese government is terrible.
What's your message to people who call the old British government a colonial power that used to abuse the entire world?
No, simply we just want the British government to come back and rule us again.
It's that simple?
Okay.
So you think the British did well?
The British government did very well.
Of course, there was a lot of talk about Donald Trump, the only person in the world these Hong Kong protesters felt could give them the hand.
Obviously, Europe's not going to.
Obviously, Justin Trudeau is not going to.
He loves communist China.
But there were American flags.
There was a little statue of liberty.
There were people calling for Donald Trump.
Why have we got an American flag here today?
Because we appreciate the American spirit.
We fight for freedom and democracy till that.
Okay.
And so if you could send a message to Donald Trump, what would it be?
Mr. Trump, we are very humble, powerless people in Hong Kong.
And we know that when the Americans fight for their independence, they need to pay a lot, like for blood and life.
And we are prepared for that.
And in any moment, if you can help us, like the American people and President Trump, please help us.
I would like to have this chance to thank President Trump that speaks things in Hong Kong for us.
Especially a few days ago, he speak with a lot of powerful people in different countries about Hong Kong situation.
And we appreciate that.
And thank you for him to help us speak out the situation in Hong Kong.
My favorite moment in all of Avi's travels was when he encountered this guy and he had some advice for Donald Trump.
Don't trust him.
Remember this?
China is an evil party.
Hong Kong, no more to stand with China.
We need independence.
Yep.
And what's your message to, have you seen Donald Trump?
Do you think he should step in?
Donald Trump, don't trust China.
China is SO!
Well, that's what it was like back then.
There was a bit of a cat and mouse game.
A lot of the protesters wore face masks and they used laser pointers to aim at police security cameras because, of course, with facial recognition, the Chinese secret police would just harvest lists of everyone who went there.
And they started cracking down on those lists.
I don't know if you recall, but Cathay Pacific, which is this mighty airline based in Hong Kong, wonderful airline, always has been.
Its CEO was summoned by the communists and they demanded that he give them a list of every Cathay Pacific employee who had ever attended a protest.
Basically, he was told to turn over his people to the Communist Party.
And in an amazing, amazing moment, reminiscent of someone who saved the Jews from the Holocaust, I might say, he gave his communist tormentors precisely one name.
His own.
What a hero.
Obviously, he resigned, but what an amazing man.
I see news that the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, HSBC, is now shutting down bank accounts of democracy protesters.
So obviously they lack the stuff of the Cathay Pacific CEO.
But they're starting to tighten the noose.
And it's not just that way.
The police are getting more brutal.
And they're obviously mainland communist-style police and even military coming across the boundary into Hong Kong.
Remember, it's not a border.
It's just a boundary.
And they're doing in slow motion what they did in the run-up to Chanimin Square.
I remind you that Channel Square started out in a festival feeling too.
Almost a little bit of a Woodstock for freedom.
They too had a Lady Liberty statue.
That is, until the tanks came.
I fear that we're almost at that moment again.
Well, things are heating up.
Hong Kong's top court recently ruled in favor of the protesters and their right to cover their faces.
Beijing's Communist Party issued a directive to the court saying you can't do that anymore.
There's a real standoff.
Who gets to decide?
Hong Kong's courts or Beijing?
And in the United States yesterday, a bill was passed with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans.
It's called the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
And it prepares the way for sanctions against people in China and Hong Kong who crack down on freedom in Hong Kong.
And it could even take away the special trading status Hong Kong has with the United States.
Things are starting to get real and Beijing seems to be running out of patience.
I fear that things are going to move from tense to violence.
I really do.
And it's a terrible feeling.
I've had the pleasure of visiting Hong Kong a couple of times and it's a wonderful city, truly in the League of London, Paris, New York, in many ways.
Obviously, it's very Chinese, but you have a great history and legacy of British, and you have hundreds of thousands of expats from around the world.
It's an amazing cosmopolitan city, a very exciting place, very vibrant.
And I fear that all of those special things are about to be taken away from him.
We will be doing more reporting from Hong Kong itself.
I'll give you more details on that once our people are in place.
But I had an idea because really, under Ahmed Hassan, who's now thankfully been replaced as immigration minister by another Toronto MP, Marco Mendocino, Justin Trudeau has jacked up immigration numbers to 350,000 a year, of whom less than half are economically valid migrants.
Most of them are either refugees or, you know, grandparents who are just coming here for the free pensions and health care.
And I thought to myself, you know, we take every scruffy illiterate in the world in the name of diversity.
People who, for example, in the case of Trudeau's Syrians, five years later still don't speak the language.
They still haven't integrated.
They still don't have a job.
We take everyone like that.
But what about these real refugees from Hong Kong?
I'm talking about the political refugees, the dissidents standing up to the People's Liberation Army.
I'm not talking about taking 8 million people from Hong Kong.
Canada can't do that.
But what about taking a few hundred, a few thousand, some of the student leaders who, God forbid, may be facing death.
Isn't that the test?
And here's the thing.
Unlike Trudeau's favored style of refugee, well, here's a few characteristics about these Chinese democracy activists in Hong Kong.
First of all, they obviously have a deep commitment to Western values, the rule of law, separation of political parties from the justice system, independent courts, free speech.
They bring those things that Trudeau's refugees from Syria and Somalia simply don't.
They speak English.
In fact, they speak very good English with a trace of a British accent.
They're well educated.
In fact, the students who have been leading the protests are usually university students.
In many cases, they're wealthy or entrepreneurial.
And of course, Hong Kong has virtually no welfare state.
These are not people who, if they came to Canada, would simply go right on the dole.
We know they don't have the welfare mindset.
We know they're not jihadists.
In fact, it's been remarkable how peaceful and orderly these protests in Hong Kong have been.
And finally, and I don't think this is insignificant, they would be a counterweight to the communist mainland Chinese immigrants in Canada.
As we've shown you in recent weeks, a great many Communist Party types from the mainland China have come to Canada and are, you know, they're having Chinese legions.
They're having Communist Party events in Canada.
And I think it would be very important and useful to have freedom-loving Hong Kong Chinese here in Canada to help cauterize the Chinese community here against the excesses of Beijing.
And to this effect, I've started a petition.
And it's a little bit unusual for us because, of course, we've been the people who've said put a pause on refugees, stop the number of refugees.
But I think for the reasons I've listed, if we're going to be taking 340,000 migrants a year to Canada, and if we're setting aside some of those spaces for refugees, why don't we take these refugees?
Ron McClain Presents a Petition00:08:14
Vet them, of course.
But there's no jihadists coming from Hong Kong.
Make sure they speak English, of course, but they all do, unlike folks from Syria, Somalia, or Afghanistan.
Make sure they have skills, but they all do.
Bring the political dissidents.
Bring them here.
Let them help make Canada great.
Let them help strengthen our own resolve for freedom and democracy.
I don't have an answer on the exact number that it should be, if it's 10,000 or Trudeau's favorite number of 50,000 that he used with the Syrians.
I'm not saying millions.
But if we have to choose, if Justin Trudeau is saying we're going to have a third of a million a year, why don't we choose some people for once who absolutely love the Canadian way of life, love freedom, and are actually willing to risk their own lives for it?
Yeah, I could picture a few more of them in Canada.
Couldn't you?
Stay with us for more.
Well, folks, thanks for your patience with me as I'm on the road.
Here's a video that Kian Bexte did yesterday.
He accosted Ron McLean, Don Cherry's longtime buddy on TV, and handed him a petition of almost 100,000 people supporting Don Cherry.
Ron McClain took the petition.
This was right after Ron McClain received an honorary degree at the University of Alberta, which sort of boggles my mind.
What did Ron McClain do to deserve an honorary degree?
I know Don Cherry did a lot of charity work and he went to Afghanistan for our troops.
Don't know what Ron did, but Ron McClain was getting all the kudos.
So Kian waited till that event was over.
And as he walked off the stage after the ceremony was done, Kean had actually waited two hours.
He presented him with the list and Ron McClain took it without comment.
But Carrie McLean, Ron's wife, oh boy, did she have a comment here?
Take a look at this.
Keyan Becksty for Rebel News here at the University of Alberta.
This is the university that gave David Suzuki an honorary degree.
And today it's giving trader Ron McClain an honorary law degree.
Now, Ron McClain, you know who he is.
He's a host with Hockey Night in Canada and used to host alongside Don Cherry, renowned Canadian hero.
Don Cherry is no more, at least in Hockey Night in Canada, at Coach's Corners.
But Ron McClain is still raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
This is after he failed to stand up for his longtime alleged pal, Don Cherry.
Now, we put out a call for signatures for a petition at supportdoncherry.com and we got nearly 100,000 signatures, and we're still getting more, and you can still sign it at supportdoncherry.com.
But right now is a pretty great opportunity.
Ron McLean is going to be at the U of A, which just happens to be where I am today, for convocation.
And we're going to be trying to give him this binder full of signatures, full of supporters of Don Cherry, the friend that Ron McClain stabbed in the back.
Let's see what we can get today in terms of footage.
And hopefully, we can find Ron McClain at least and see if he'll accept the binder.
Mr. McClain, how are you?
I'm great.
Kean, how are you?
Kean, nice to meet you.
It was a ceremony.
Lovely, yeah.
Congratulations.
Thanks, guys.
That's a day.
Lovely speaker.
Thank you so much.
I was hoping I'd be able to present you with this petition.
Okay.
It's 90,000 folks who signed it who support Don Cherry.
Great.
Who they watch your show and they're disappointed that he was fired for standing up.
They want your show.
They want you, yourself, and Don to be standing up for veterans.
And they're really disappointed that you didn't stand up for him.
So we're kind of curious with this binder.
We're kind of wondering if you think Don is actually racist.
Sorry, I don't know who you are.
Do you think Don is actually racist?
No.
Why would he be racist?
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
This is a wrong place.
Excuse me.
This is absolutely an educational institution.
No, that is unacceptable.
You're grabbing.
Everything today has been respected.
What's your name?
It doesn't matter what his name is.
Are you fair?
Oh, that's his wife here.
Would I be able to give this to you?
No.
Okay.
This is a.
Well, you know what?
Actually, I don't mind the support.
Okay, I don't mind the support.
What we don't mind.
No, these are supporters.
These are supporters of Don.
We are also a supporter of Don, so I don't mind that.
We appreciate that support.
We really do.
You're taking it back.
You are crucifying my husband as a result of that.
There's signs being shot.
Sorry, I'm not sure if I can do it.
And in a moment where that was unacceptable.
Do you think?
Did you see my husband?
He's almost in tears.
Do you think he wanted this to happen?
Why didn't he stand up for him?
He stand up.
Wait.
Why wouldn't he quit his job?
Why would he quit his job?
Because a Canadian saint was fired for no reason.
A saint?
Sorry.
Do you think Don is racist?
I wrote a letter.
Sorry, what's up?
Do you think Donnie's racist?
I wouldn't say the word racist.
Do I think he's a bigot?
Possibly.
You think Don Sherry's a bigot?
Possibly.
We don't.
Let's go.
It's been widely accepted.
Let's go.
Straight out.
I'm just shot.
You are not shoddy.
You are ruining her day.
No, no.
Trust me.
90,000 Canadians say days was ruined when Don Sherry was fired.
This was not the point Don't touch it.
Don't touch it.
Please away.
I'm just asking questions.
I'm a journalist.
I'm allowed to ask questions.
The time for questions is over, sir.
The time for questions is over.
Well, 90,000 Canadians would disagree with me.
Now, there is a ceremony going on.
No, it's over.
I waited for two hours, actually.
I'm going to continue to ask questions, unless that's illegal now.
It isn't illegal.
It's inappropriate right now.
I don't think so.
You don't have to think so, I am telling you.
Your opinion doesn't really matter.
Thank you very much.
We gave it to Rogers, yeah.
We gave it to SportsNed.
We gave one to Don.
And we were hoping that your husband would accept it.
If you would take it.
We're out of here.
Yeah, we're just hoping you will take the.
I appreciate that.
I appreciate it.
Excuse me.
Are you recording?
Get out of the middle of our conversation.
Are you recording?
Yes, yes.
He's got me on.
All right.
Mr. Raclane, would you take it?
If you give it to somebody, I'll take it.
Thank you.
Sorry, what?
What's your name?
Got it.
So I just waited two hours for Ron McClain and his wife to come out of the ceremony where he was receiving a degree just like David Suzuki did.
He ended up accepting it, which I was grateful for.
And I think the 90,000 folks who signed our petition will be grateful for.
But what struck me as surprising was even after Don has effectively been redeemed, after everyone has come clear with what he meant to say, and even what he did say was not targeting immigrants in any way in particular that was malicious.
Ron McClain's wife called Don Cherry a bigot.
A bigot.
Do you think Don Sherry is a bigot?
I don't.
I'm exceedingly disappointed in Ron McClain's wife, but we're not here for Ron McClain's wife.
We're here for Ron McClain.
He took our petition, and I'm grateful for that, but he really didn't come clean with why he didn't stand up for his longtime friend.
Tune Tomorrow00:00:33
For Rebel News, I'm Tim Beckstein.
I will be back in the studio tomorrow.
We'll have a proper show for you then.
Thanks for your patience with me as I've been on the road.
I think these Wexit panels are important, and obviously there's a huge demand for them based on the sold-out crowds.
I encourage you to tune into those until tomorrow.
On behalf of all of us here at Rebel World Headquarters, well, I guess I'm not in the headquarters, I'm in the forest.