John and Yoko in Canada: Boosting Peace
TORONTO — It started like a pretty normal Sunday. The churches and synagogues were filled, the radio news bulletins beamed out the latest on wars and starving people and sales. From the TV came more news than you needed about the astronauts. Spring was clinging to the trees.
Then it changed. An Air Canada flight from the Bahamas landed at Toronto International Airport and discharged a load of returning holiday makers, including the Lennon family. Literally from out of the blue, John Lennon, wife Yoko Ono, her five-year-old daughter Kyoko, publicist Derek Taylor plus two members of the Beatles’ film crew arrived in this staid, conservative capital of Canada.
Immigration authorities, who were well aware of the difficulty Lennon had encountered in obtaining a renewal of his U.S. visa, were as much (or more) surprised than we were. John Lennon in Toronto! It was astounding.
Twenty-four hours later, the Lennon entourage returned to the airport and flew to Montreal, where they began a week-long bed-in for peace (at midnight on Monday May 26) on the 19th floor of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. To an observer, the 24 hours seemed like a lifetime in the fast-moving 20th century. First of all, Lennon was detained for two hours while immigration officials debated whether he should be allowed into Canada as a desirable alien. After all, Lennon had a conviction for possession of drugs.
Finally, after — in true British spirit — several cups of tea, Lennon was released on his own recognizance pending a hearing the following morning. The entourage headed downtown, where they were booked into a $50-a-day suite in the King Edward Sheraton Hotel.
Later in the evening, news leaked to the press and Toronto woke next morning to find John and Yoko’s picture and story on the front page of the Globe and Mail. That morning, Lennon returned to the airport where in a thoroughly commendable and unexpected piece of sound judgment — Canadian immigration officials granted the most famous couple in the world a 10-day stay in the country. The hearing was adjourned to June 5.
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