HATEBREED Denied Entry Into Canada, Vancouver Show Cancelled
May 9, 2004HATEBREED have posted the following message on their official web site:
"We would like to sincerely apologize to all of our fans in Vancouver who will not get to see us [Saturday night, May 8] due to the Canadian Border Patrol. Every other Customs Department in every other country in the world that we have been to welcomes us with opens arms yet somehow every time we try to enter Canada we hassled, interrogated, belittled and disrespected. This morning was no different. Our merch guy and stage manager/guitar tech were denied entry for no good reason. The women was quoted as saying, 'You're guilty until proven innocent.' Guilty of what??? Trying to go play a show? It was ridiculous. Then she had the nerve to tell us to go drop off our boys at a hotel and come back and maybe after 'extensive searching and questioning' that they would 'possibly' let us through. Well, for one. We don't play like that. No one is getting left behind just because some stupid bitch at the border feels like denying them entry and secondly. How the hell do they expect to go drop them and 'all of their belongings' off and then go all the way just for them to deny us again which she was basically implying she was going to do. We knew they would not let us through.
"The woman threw a fit when one of us answered one of her questions with a head nod. She blares out with 'You must answer me aloud, YOU CANNOT ANSWER YES WITH A HEAD NOD.' it's like what is up your ass bitch? It's a shame that people like this get put into positions of power. She told us she could refuse anyone for any reason at all and that it was all at her discretion. THAT IS LIKE SOME NAZI GERMANY SHIT FOR REAL!
"It's fucked up that they do this to so many bands because they are hassling people for the sake of hassling them.
"We love our fans in Canada we went out of our way to book this show! We drove all night from Portland just to do one show in Vancouver and this is the bullshit that they throw at us. Now not only have we lost a lot of money but we have disappointed our fans all because of some horse's ass at the border. There has got to be a way to change the treatment and policies.
"We will do our best to make up this show and hopefully you all can help us change the system so that all bands don't have to deal with this harassment. We've contacted the Consulate, the Canadian Customs Department and Immigration Office as well as our local Congressman to find out what we can all do. We will not deterred anymore and CORE ACROSS CANADA will happen we promise!"
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