At the initiative of two mothers on the front – Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and Frédérique Bérubé, a collective of 30 Quebec artists united their voices to demand an immediate ceasefire on Gaza.
“At the request of Palestinian citizens of Quebec”, these artists “break the silence of the Montreal scene” and “show solidarity with the Palestinian people”, we can read in a video of one minute 22 seconds broadcast on Facebook and Instagram .
In black and white images, their faces scroll by, looking serious. “I ask the Canadian government to demand the opening of a passage to allow humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian citizens,” says actress Caroline Dhavernas.
We also see, among others, the actors Kelly Depeault, Florence Longpré, Christine Beaulieu, Vincent Leclerc and Maxime Leflaguais, the author and director Dominique Champagne, the producer Monique Simard, the filmmaker Marya Zarif and the directors Samer Najari and Halima Ouardiri.
“I see my mother in every woman who mourns her losses,” also says Nadine Jaafar, scenographer of Lebanese and Egyptian origins.
The video also gives speaking time to Fabienne Presentey, member of Independent Jewish Voices, an organization that promotes peace in Israel-Palestine. “I have a responsibility as a Jew to denounce acts done in our name, in my name as a Jew, and which are criminal acts,” she said.
The collective also published the reading of the poem on social networks I am Palestinian and I have a dream, by Palestinian author and poet Ziad Medoukh, who has been missing since November 14. It is read by the actresses Larissa Corriveau, Kelly Depeault, Vincent Leclerc and by the playwright Evelyne de la Chenelière.
Remember that Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, author, filmmaker and co-founder of the Mothers at the Front movement, lived in Palestine.
The collective also invites the population to take “concrete and immediate actions” with Oxfam and Amnesty International.
Visit the Artists for Ceasefire page on Facebook and Instagram.