Photo: romana klee, flickr.
While American citizens are mocking the #BringBackOurGirls and #UnitedForUkraine campaigns it’s important to note Canada’s strong tradition of hashtag foreign policy.
During the onset of the Second World War, both Britain and France declared war against the Germans for invading Poland on September 3, 1939. It took a full week of #ComeOnCanada and #SaveTheJews trending before Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Canada declared war and joined the Allied forces in their campaign against the Germans.
The Germans responded with their own hashtag #EinePersonEineWelt (One People One World) and a fierce hashtag battle began. Many countries succumbed to pressure from #EinePersonEineWelt and things looked grim for Europe and the rest of the free world.
It wasn’t until a coordinated campaign from Allied countries of #NazisNoMore took place that the Germans finally agreed to surrender on May 7, 1945.
Hashtags were vital to other important Canadian military campaigns as well.
In Afghanistan it took years of #NoTalibanNoTerror trending before the mission was finally declared a success and troops allowed to return home.
Canadians helped secure another victory in the Korean war thanks to #CaringForKorea.
The first world war was vicious and hundreds of thousands of Canadians died in battle. Thankfully #AlliesForArmistice hashtag became so popular in Canada that Great Britain, France and Russia all picked up on it. Eventually the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire) could not refute the hashtag any longer and agreed to end conflict with the Allied forces.
It is important to remember the ultimate price that Canadians paid during these conflicts with the hashtag #NeverForget.
Hopefully the hashtags #WorldPeace and #TotalitarianTolerance will trend long enough to make a difference and end all future wars.