Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcoming those fleeing war and persecution in response to the United States President Donald Trump’s executive order banning refugees from seven war-torn nations seems to have been predicted by the popular animated TV show The Simpsons in 1997.
“Hey immigrants! Beat it! The country’s full!” Bart Simpson yells from inside the Statue of Liberty at a boat carrying immigrants in The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, the 179th episode of the series.
“Okay folks you heard the lady,” the boat’s captain responds. “Back into the hold will try Canada.”
The Simpsons episode Bart to the Future aired in 2000 shows Lisa Simpson succeeding Trump as the President of the United States.
“As you know,” she warns her staff in the Oval Office, “we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.”
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength” Trudeau tweeted today, a day after Trump signed an executive order indefinitely suspending admissions for Syrian refugees and barring nationals from six other Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.
To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 28 January 2017
Trump is seen as aiming to fulfill a key election pledge to ban Muslims all entering the US by signing executive order titled “Protection Of The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States.”
“I am establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America,” Trump said. “We don’t want them here.”
In stark contrast, Trudeau came to power in November 2015 promising to resettle 25,000 refugees that year – a promise he made good, albeit with a two month delay.
