Protesters marched through the streets of more than two dozen Canadian cities on Saturday to express their support for the residents of the Gaza Strip, calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In response to the call of the Palestinian Youth Movement, rallies were organized across Canada, including in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.
In Montreal, thousands of protesters marched through the downtown Quartier des Spectacles, many waving Palestinian flags and taking part in chants calling for a “free Palestine” and a “ceasefire now.”
Montreal protester Shaima Nakhli said what she described as Canadian officials’ reluctance to condemn the killing of Palestinians made her question the government’s commitment to human rights.
“Canada is always there for human rights, for humanism,” recalled Ms. Nakhli. Where are these values?
Sarah Shamy, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said at the rally in Montreal that she expected historic participation in Saturday’s protests across North America.
Participants called for a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid sent to Gaza. They also demanded that Canada stop supporting the military action of the Israeli army against Hamas, which the federal government has designated as a terrorist organization since 2002.
The Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza reported that more than 9,440 Palestinians have died since the start of Hamas’ war with Israel, which began nearly a month ago when the group carried out an attack- surprise, which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. More than 200 other people were taken back to Gaza and taken hostage.
Israel immediately declared war in response to the attack and has launched daily attacks since, intensifying its bombing over the past week. These new attacks have sparked global concern over the lack of food, fuel and essential goods for the estimated 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Toronto on Saturday for the rally, while in Fredericton, Nova Scotia, a few hundred people carrying the green, red and black Palestinian flags chanted slogans in front of the ‘city Hall.
Protesters interviewed by The Canadian Press explained that they wanted to be present to oppose what they called a “75-year-old occupation by Israeli forces,” a characterization that Israel has always rejected.
The signs read slogans like “Bombing children is not self-defense,” “Liberate Gaza,” and “Ceasefire now.”
Spokesperson for the rally held in Fredericton, Amer Marwan El-Samman, stressed that the main objective of the demonstration was to call for a ceasefire and put an end to what it called the “indiscriminate killing” of civilians.
Mr. El-Samman says he is optimistic about the future, despite the long and complex history of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which has lasted since at least the creation of Israel in 1948.
“It could be next year, it could be two years. You never know how things can change, he admitted. The next generation, the youth, gives me a little more hope, so we’ll see. »
In Toronto, thousands of people gathered in front of the U.S. Consulate, which is located downtown.
Bandar Darwazeh, who is Palestinian and lives in Canada, admitted that he can feel the pain of his relatives who live in the West Bank, where the level of violence has also increased due to the conflict.
In Mr. Darwazeh’s opinion, the Canadian and American governments should do more.
“We are here to push the Government of Canada to call for a ceasefire and bring peace,” he said.
Jane Story, another protester at the Toronto rally, said she was “particularly traumatized and heartbroken by what is happening in Gaza.”
“I’ve been marching for the Palestinians for 40 years,” she noted, waving a Palestinian flag. It’s a conflict that never ends and keeps getting worse. »
At least 1,115 dual-national and injured Palestinians left Gaza for Egypt, but on Saturday Gaza authorities did not allow foreign passport holders to leave because Israel was preventing the evacuation of Palestinian patients for treatment in Egypt , said Wael Abu Omar, spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority.
Global Affairs Canada had previously informed Canadians stuck in the Gaza Strip that they could be allowed out “as early as Sunday,” but an update provided Saturday made no mention of Saturday’s break at border crossings and offered no no further details on a potential timeline.
With Hina Alam in Fredericton, Sammy Hudes in Toronto and the Associated Press