Pro-Palestinian rallies were held in several Canadian cities Saturday, with protesters denouncing Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Similar rallies were held in cities around the world ahead of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, which has spilled over into Lebanon.
In Montreal, protesters denounced Israeli military’s strikes in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, and called for an immediate ceasefire. The crowd – many carrying Palestinian and Lebanese flags and chanting ‘Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea” – walked on René-Lévesque Boulevard, while a smaller contingent started from McGill University’s Roddick Gates on Sherbrooke Street and joined the main gathering.
Wedad Antonius, a retired teacher, said she joined the rally to call for justice and for an end to the suffering.
“It’s a situation that, a year ago, we didn’t even imagine, and now it went so far, with total impunity for Israel,” she said.
Ms. Antonius also criticized Canada’s stance toward the Jewish State, which she said was too lenient.
“We hope that the government will hear our voice and start working for justice, to be on the right side of history because now it’s on the wrong side,” she said.
In a speech before the start of the march, union leader Marc-Édouard Joubert said apathy in the face of the Middle East conflict is not an option.
“Solidarity mandates us to do something, to denounce this genocide, to demand an immediate ceasefire and to demand for humanitarian aid to circulate freely,” Mr. Joubert said. “We won’t be silenced, we won’t be complicit.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters also gathered in downtown Toronto Saturday, holding Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine.” Toronto police said they were not aware of any major incidents.
In Israel, protesters took to the streets demanding more urgent action to rescue the Oct. 7 hostages still held in Gaza. Of the 250 people taken hostage by Hamas militants last October, fewer than 70 are believed to still be alive.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
In late September, Israel stepped up its air strikes against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which local health officials say have killed nearly 2,000 people.
The escalation of violence in the Middle East has triggered protests and counterprotests in many countries around the world, including in Canada.
Montreal police said earlier this week that there have been more than 340 protests in the city related to the war in Gaza over the past year and more than 100 arrests. They said police have recorded a total of 288 hate crime complaints since Oct. 7, 2023, with 213 targeting the Jewish community and 75 aimed at the Arab-Muslim community. They have laid 41 hate crime charges.
– With a report from The Canadian Press