July 27, 1953 is the date an armistice agreement between the DPRK and the United States was signed in the Korean War. This armistice has yet to be turned into a stable peace treaty. From day one, the terms of the armistice have been violated by the United States over and over again, including its refusal to sign a permanent peace agreement. For its part, Canada, which waged war against the Korean people along with 22 other UN members, under the UN flag, in 2013 declared July 27 "Korean War Veterans Day."

The name of this day and its purported aim to "honour Canadian veterans of the Korean War" serve to convey state disinformation about the Korean War and its cause. This year Prime Minister Trudeau in a cowardly fashion showed his servitude to the U.S. imperialist falsification of history by flaunting his ignorance about the cause of the Korean War. He repeated the well-known anti-communist U.S. tirade which claims the U.S. was defending freedom and European values when it split Korea in two at the 38th parallel, brought back the Japanese occupiers -- whom the Korean people had shed much blood to defeat -- to administer the southern part of Korea and then declared this region the Republic of Korea. Then, when the United States intervened in the civil war it instigated and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) defended the Korean nation, they accused it of "aggression" and launched the most heinous war against the entire Korean people where untold crimes were committed including biological warfare and the slaughter of the people.[1]

The Prime Minister claims that the Korean War was instigated by the DPRK, in the "first open act of aggression since the establishment of the United Nations" and that "In the face of this illegal, unprovoked, and unjustifiable act, Canada joined forces with our allies and partners in a UN mission to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula." According to the Prime Minister, veterans waged a fight "against brutal totalitarianism on land, at sea, and in the air." Canadian forces who died in the war "made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," Trudeau said.

Nobody believes that anymore Mr. Trudeau. Your attempts to erase the Korean people in the north and south and their heroic fight for their independence and freedom from the yoke of the U.S. occupiers that was the essence of the Korean War, will not get far. The inconceivable barbarity committed by U.S. forces and the role of Canadian and other forces brings Canada no honour.

Trudeau ended his statement by promoting the myth of Canada as a peacekeeper. After the U.S. and its allies could not secure victory, and the situation forced the U.S. to sign an Armistice Agreement to end the fighting in the war, he says, "Canadians stayed in the region to keep the peace, maintaining a presence in UN Command to this day. Their continued service helped lay the foundation for the prosperous and democratic South Korea that exists today, building an everlasting bond between our people."

Canada has yet to lift a finger to pay its share of reparations for the crimes committed against the Korean people. It has not fulfilled its commitments to realize diplomatic relations with the DPRK, nor has it supported the Korean people's profound desire for reunification and the removal of U.S. forces and nuclear weapons from south Korea as stipulated in the Armistice Agreement. Instead, Canada participates in war games aimed at regime change in the DPRK, and takes part in the illegal naval blockade of the DPRK through Operation NEON.

The DPRK gave a fitting reply to the Prime Minister's statement, in which it laid out the facts of Canada's role in Korea as follows:

"Canada is still playing the role of active follower and shock brigade in implementing the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK. [...] Canada can never be free from its war crime of destroying homes of the Korean people and killing millions of innocent residents, toeing the U.S. line. [...] It is none other than Canada which dispatches its air and naval forces to the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula several times every year and always pokes its nose into the U.S.-led joint military drills targeting our country."

Prime Minister Trudeau's statement lauding the crimes of the U.S. and its allies in the Korean War is anathema to the Canadian people's striving for Canada to be a genuine force for peace in the world and for Canada to uphold diplomacy and the principles of international relations which prohibit interference in a country's internal affairs. The statement issued by the Prime Minister shows the ongoing servility of the ruling circles in Canada to the U.S. and Canada's complete integration into the U.S. war machine and its aim to crush the DPRK. It is undignified and unacceptable.

Make Canada a Zone for Peace!
Hands Off Korea!

Note

1. "July 27, 1953, Signing of Armistice in the Korean War: U.S. Must Stop All Provocations Against the DPRK and Sign a Peace Treaty Now!" Nick Lin and Philip Fernandez, In the News, cpcml.ca.

Cuban People Valiantly Overcome Grave Setback in Matanzas

Heroic Efforts Bring Fire Under Control

– Photos –

Final photo shows the Bay of Matanzas on August 13. The photo was posted by the office of the President of Cuba on Twitter with the note: "Once the flames have been extinguished, another very painful stage begins: the search for the missing. Our embrace to the families."

(Photos: Granma, Cuba Debate, Presidencia Cuba)

CPC(M-L)'s Condolences on Death of
José Ramón Balaguer

On July 18, Anna Di Carlo, National Leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), sent a letter of condolences to Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic and, through him to the Communist Party of Cuba and the Cuban people, on the passing away of Commander José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera.

The body of the letter from Anna Di Carlo is reproduced below:

Commander José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera

The news of the passing of Comrade Balaguer is received by us with great sorrow. Our relations when he headed the Department of International Affairs of the Central Committee were always a source of joy. Comrade Balaguer had a way of clearly, succinctly and with revolutionary confidence putting forward the challenges facing the Party, the people and the country as well as the entire international communist and workers' movement in the light of the worldwide counterrevolution launched in the early nineties.

He imbued his mandate with Fidel's sense of history, ethics, revolutionary enthusiasm, confidence in the people and humankind. Their patriotism went hand in hand with bold concrete measures of international solidarity. We could go on, such as our appreciation of Balaguer's quiet yet sharp sense of humour which accompanied his observations as well as the patience he always exhibited.

As we confront the difficulties and challenges of today, we reflect on the worthy life of Balaguer as a combatant in the clandestine struggle and of the Rebel Army, a founder of the Communist Party of Cuba, a medical doctor, diplomat, deputy of the National Assembly of People's Power, member of the Party Central Committee and, since the difficult historical juncture which set in in the early nineties, Minister of Public Health and then Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. In this latter role we see him in our mind's eye present the positions of revolutionary Cuba authoritatively and frankly, pointing out the need to wage the ideological struggle against the enemy to uphold the cause of humankind and also within the ranks of the progressive forces and communist parties themselves to defend the revolutionary ideals and tackle deficiencies.

Our admiration for the members of the historic generation and loyal followers of Fidel and Raúl such as Balaguer leads us to reflect anew on the significance of their contributions to the cause of the Cuban people and their Revolution and of revolutionary Cuba in the world today. We reaffirm our commitment to defend Cuba's sovereignty, defeat the criminal U.S. blockade and for all of us to march together to tackle the problems which the path to progress throws up in our way.

With our deepest sympathies to Comrade Balaguer's family, his close comrades and friends, the Party and people of Cuba, we join you in mourning his loss and paying tribute to everything he lived and fought for.

Palestinian Existence is Resistance!

What the Martyrdom of Palestinian
Children Demands

– Pierre Soublière –

During the weekend of August 5-7, Israel once again bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 46 Palestinians, including 16 children and four women. Three hundred and eleven Palestinians were reported wounded in the attack. The Israeli army has claimed that it targeted 140 positions in Gaza.

Coinciding with the deadly Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Israeli Jewish settlers raided the Al-Asqua Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, August 7, protected by a large number of Israeli police.

Monopoly media in Canada and abroad presented these crimes against humanity as a legitimate defensive response with headlines which read: "Confrontations Continue in Israel and the Gaza Strip," "Violence on the rise" and the like. However, these attacks are part of untold acts of violence and expulsions which have been ongoing since the Nakba and have increased since last May. This interpretation of reality is similar to that of an Israeli spokesperson speaking at the UN Security Council in May, blaming her government's own violence on the Palestinian people themselves, calling those who defend themselves and protest the crimes of the occupier "Palestinian terrorists" and claiming that "tensions" exist because of a "culture of hate and of hostility spread in Palestinian children school books over decades."

The right to be of Palestinian children is not learned in books. It belongs to them by virtue of their being human and the ongoing occupation whereby children such as themselves are arrested, imprisoned, tortured and killed redoubles their longing for justice and peace and their conviction and love for a free Palestine.

Current attacks took place as Israel is going ahead with its plans to build 4,000 housing units in what it called the "zone C colonies" of the occupied territory of the West Bank, as well as the destruction of Palestinian houses and structures and the expulsion of 1,200 Palestinians. In April, the UN Human Rights Council passed a number of resolutions on the human rights of Palestinians, reaffirming the inalienable, permanent and absolute right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and calling upon Israel, as the Occupying Force, to immediately end its occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and to lift all obstacles to the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine. One of these resolutions requires of Israel that it immediately end all its settlement activities in all of the Palestinian Territory and occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

These resolutions, as clear as they are, were not part of any considerations of the Canadian government when, in July, it published a report titled "The Rise of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada" in which it rejects the "demonization" and "delegitimization" of the State of Israel and condemns all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups, or individuals, including university campus associations, to promote these "views," both at home and abroad. There is a definite resemblance between this statement and that of Israel on "hate culture." The same as Israel, the Canadian government presents a fraudulent history and ignores the numerous resolutions adopted at the United Nations, condemning Israel for its violations of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

Facts are facts, not "views" designed to "spread hatred." In 2004, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees denounced the intrusion into its offices by Israeli Defense Forces, who had fired in the direction of one of the agency's international collaborators, who was held for three hours, handcuffed and blindfolded. Two years earlier, the former head of the agency, Iain Hook, was shot to death by an Israeli soldier. Recently the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces, for which Israel authorities refused to render account, once again blaming Palestinians themselves for her death. Denouncing her death and demanding justice is not a "hate crime."

Street in Ramallah named after journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, August 13, 2022.

This is the total disregard of Israel for the decisions of the international community, for human rights and for the most basic international norms which the Canadian government permits in the name of high ideals. The list of their disregard for the most basic norms of human behaviour is long, and this is what the Canadian government seeks to obscure with its stories of "demonization" and its efforts to stop facts from being known and justice from prevailing. This must not pass!

It is truly condemnable and cowardly to try to quell the voice of the brave Palestinian people, whether in Palestine or the diaspora. The Palestinian community in Canada, in Quebec and throughout the world has shown every time that it will never be silenced. No justice and freedom-loving person can accept nor allow repressive and obscurantist measures which support criminal activity and try to put off the day when the State of Israel will be held accountable to the international community.

(Photos: Days of Palestine, Palestine Responds)

Further Israeli Crackdown on Palestinian Resistance

Funeral in Nablus, August 9 for three youth killed by Israeli military in that city.

The following are excerpts from an article titled "The Hunger Striker and the 'Lion of Nablus'" by Mariam Barghouti, published August 10 on the Mondoweiss website.

On August 9, 2022, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in two separate incidents. In Nablus, three Palestinians, including Ibrahim Nabulsi, a notable Palestinian resistance fighter from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Fatah's armed wing), were assassinated in a daytime military raid, while in Hebron 17-year-old Momin Jaber was killed in confrontations as occupation forces raided the city.[1] Moreover, the death of Ibrahim Nabulsi, "the lion of Nablus," is connected to the ongoing struggle of Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh, whose hunger strike has persisted for five months, and who is now being held at Ramleh Prison's infirmary.

All of these incidents are part of the same story -- the Israeli campaign to eradicate Palestinian resistance.

The recent string of Israeli killings, including the assassination of Nabulsi and the killing of 16-year-old Hussein Taha, came a mere 48 hours after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was reached to halt the latest Israeli assault on Gaza -- dubbed Operation Breaking Dawn.[2] The pretext behind Breaking Dawn was to pre-emptively target members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement who the Israeli military "suspected" of planning an attack against Israel.

However, the focus on the PIJ has also concealed what was taking place weeks before the assault. The Israeli military undertook a series of operations in the West Bank that were part of Operation Break the Wave, which was launched during the spring of this year.[3] On July 24, the Israeli army invaded the old city of Nablus, targeting several houses and residential areas with live ammunition, explosives, and teargas.

[... ]

One pivotal aspect of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's ceasefire agreement was the fulfilment of three primary demands: the release of senior PIJ leader Bassam al-Saadi (who was detained by the Israeli military in Jenin on August 1), the suspension of Israel's targeting of PIJ members or affiliates in the West Bank, and the immediate release of hunger striker Khalil Awawdeh, 41, who has been held under administrative detention with no trial or charge.

[...]

On January 5, Awawdeh was supposed to be released after being arrested on alleged charges of incitement on his Facebook account by Israeli authorities, but his file was turned over to administrative detention a few days later. According to 7amleh's January-March quarterly report, nine people were imprisoned by Israel over incitement.[4] Awawdeh has now been on hunger strike for over 150 days to protest his administrative detention. Due to his deteriorating health, Awawdeh was unable to appear before the court on August 9, as he remains held at the Ramleh prison clinic inside the Green Line. This practice of moving occupied persons from occupied territory is illegal under international law. Awawdeh's health continues to deteriorate, as he continues to be unlawfully held in administrative detention. Indeed, Israel routinely operates outside of the law in order to achieve its intended "security" objectives. An important example is the extra-judicial killing of Nabulsi and leaders of the PIJ such as Tayseer Jaabari in Gaza. What all these cases have in common is that they are decided on and executed based on speculations by Israeli military authorities and intelligence.

Action August 1, 2022 in support of Palestinian hunger striker Khalil Awawdeh, outside Red Cross
building in Gaza.

[...]

As Awawdeh's health continues to worsen, Israel seems to be denying that the release of Saadi and Awawdeh were part of the ceasefire agreement in the first place.[5] Yet the targeted and brutal assassination of a 19-year-old whose reality dictated that he become a resistance fighter implicitly emphasizes the recognition that Palestinian armed resistance is not confined to a single political faction, rather extending from Gaza to Jenin to Nablus, and to Palestinian communities with Israeli citizenship, as witnessed in the city of Lydd last year.[6] While a sense of mourning looms over Palestinians, new fears are arising of renewed attacks by the Israeli army and emboldened settlers on Palestinian towns and cities.[7]

Since Israeli military intelligence and counterinsurgency capabilities are one of the most technologically advanced in the world, and actively supported by the U.S., Palestinian resistance is further forced underground. Awawdeh continues his fight using his empty stomach. Nabulsi was a 19-year-old who refused to acquiesce to Israeli military aggression, and so Israel targeted him and his comrades, not for "security reasons," but for what they have become -- the symbols of resistance and hope for eventual liberation.

Notes

1. See here.

2. See here.

3. See here.

4. See here.

5. See here.

6. See here.

7 See here.

(Photos: Wafa, Mondeweiss)

Lawsuit Against McGill University Student Activists Supporting Palestine

B'nai Brith Canada announced in a July 27 press communiqué that it "is backing a McGill student's lawsuit against the university for failing to withhold student fees" after what it calls "repeated anti-Israel referendums."[1]

The lawsuit names McGill University, the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill, which promoted the referendum.

In its press communiqué, B'nai Brith Canada says"the Members of SSMU endorsed a document accusing Israel of engaging in 'settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians,' and committing SSMU to boycotting all entities 'complicit' in this activity, among other measures." B'nai Brith claims, "The document's language was so broad that it would have compelled SSMU to boycott virtually all Jewish clubs and associations on campus."

B'nai Brith adds that it "has previously appealed to the university to withhold funding for the students' society, and despite having received assurances that McGill would do so, it continues to fund the SSMU. To make matters worse, McGill is in violation of its own Memorandum of Understanding, promising to cease funding SSMU in the event it participated in boycotting Israel or affiliated groups."

The communiqué tries to put Judaism and Zionism on the same footing, and to portray as 'anti-Israel' the legitimate resistance fight of Palestinians in the face of the on-going illegal occupation and annexation of their homeland by Israeli forces. Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada said, "It's inexplicable that McGill would allow one anti-Israel referendum after another and continue to fund activities which are in violation of its own policies. In doing so, it is participating in creating an antisemitic environment."

To further drive the point home that Canadian students and youth should abandon their just and legitimate fight in support of the Palestinian cause, Sam Goldstein, B'nai Brith Canada's Director of Legal Affairs said: "Let this be an example to all universities across Canada who are allowing this type of activity on campus. B'nai Brith will not stand for this any longer. ... These types of referendums are not restricted to McGill, this is a problem in universities across Canada, and we hope other universities are paying attention."

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

The plaintiff -- a Jewish third-year student at McGill -- is being supported exclusively by the Legal Defence Program at B'nai Brith Canada.

"We're standing up for this Jewish student, and through him, all Jewish students on campus who feel unsafe and unwelcome as a result of continued anti-Israel referendums by their student society," said Mostyn.

Interestingly enough the "Jewish third-year student at McGill" is no innocent bystander in this affair. He writes regularly for a local newspaper called The Suburban in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood of Montreal and in March one of his opinion pieces was published in the Jerusalem Post.[2] In it he targets a McGill University professor of Lebanese origin for her stand in defence of the Palestinian cause, equating her support for Palestinians resisting annexation with "attacking peace discourse with Israel." She worked with "Samah Idriss, the late Lebanese writer and anti-Zionist activist" who "also praised Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions on Israel (BDS)." He tried to portray her as "appear[ing] to support terrorism" in an article that the McGill Daily editor refused to publish.

As a U.S. citizen, he is a fellow of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis in America (CAMERA), a U.S. pro-Israeli organization that promotes the narrative that Israel is being unjustly targeted in mass media.[3] CAMERA fellows receive $1,500 and are asked to carry out a number of activities on campus including "monitoring of the campus media, classrooms/professors, and anti-Israel events."[4]

He unsuccessfully led a campaign to dismiss as illegitimate a motion to put the Palestine Solidarity Policy to a referendum open to all undergraduates, which was passed at the SSMU General Assembly in February and subsequently by its Legislative Council.

As a spokesperson for SPHR McGill stated at the Montreal August 10 Rally in support of Gaza, activists are determined to carry on fighting to have the results of the 2022 Winter Referendum on the Palestine Solidarity Policy implemented.

SSMU Referendum Question Winter 2022

Ballot Question: "Do you agree to the SSMU's adoption of the Palestine Solidarity Policy?"

Palestine Solidarity Policy

Background and rationale

The SSMU Constitution states that "the SSMU commits to demonstrating leadership in matters of human rights [and] social justice;"

McGill students have historically campaigned for divestment from institutions or corporations that demonstrate a lack of accountability, ethicality, and respect for the rights and dignity of others;

Palestinian and pro-Palestine students have worked for years to educate their peers about McGill University's complicity in the oppression of Palestinians, while facing serious threats to their safety and other fundamental rights;

McGill University invests in, or engages in close collaboration with several corporations and institutions complicit in an entrenched system of settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians;

This system of settler-colonial apartheid is characterized by a brutal regime of land theft, checkpoints, house demolitions, environmental destruction, deportation, and extrajudicial killings at the hands of soldiers, police, and settlers;

Under this same regime, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to live in ever-worsening conditions under a destructive blockade, where attempts to protest or resist are met with the bullets of snipers, or deadly bombing;

McGill University cut its ties with institutions and corporations complicit in South African apartheid in the 1980s, after concerted student activism;

An ever-growing number of student unions, universities, labour unions, political parties, and religious organizations have called for boycotts or divestment from settler-colonial atrocities against Palestinians, in Canada and around the world;

Action Items

Be it resolved:

The SSMU shall campaign for McGill University's public condemnation of Canary Mission and other surveillance or smear campaigns against Palestinian and pro-Palestine students;

The SSMU shall make at least one public statement each semester, including a statement on Nakba Day, reaffirming the SSMU's solidarity with Palestinian students and with Palestinian liberation from settler-colonial apartheid. Each of these statements shall be authored by the SSMU Palestine Solidarity Committee.

The SSMU shall completely boycott all corporations and institutions complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians;

The SSMU shall campaign for McGill University's complete boycott of all corporations and institutions complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians;

The SSMU shall completely divest from all corporations complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians;

The SSMU shall campaign for McGill University's complete divestment from all corporations complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians;

The SSMU shall form a Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), composed of at least one SSMU Political Campaign Coordinator (chair), one SSMU executive and at least four members of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill (SPHR).

In the event of any question, conflict or uncertainty regarding the correct application of the Policy, the Palestine Solidarity Committee shall make a binding decision, by majority vote. This decision shall then be ratified by the student body in the earliest subsequent SSMU referendum.

This Policy shall remain in force for a period of 5 years, starting from the moment of its adoption by the student body.

Notes

1. "B'nai Brith Announces Lawsuit Against McGill and its Student Clubs, July 27, 2022".

2. "An anti-Israel professor teaches at McGill -- opinion", Jonah Fried, Jerusalem Post, March 23, 2022.

3. "McGill student Jonah Fried sues his university and student union for anti-Israel referendum that was 'discriminatory, biased and antisemitic,'" The Canadian Jewish News, July 29, 2022.

4. "U.S. student, Israel lobby groups behind McGill lawsuit," Yves Engler, Mondoweiss, August 9, 2022.

Anti-Palestinian Racism in Ontario Schools

– Palestinian Canadian Congress –

On July 11, 2022, the Palestinian Canadian Congress (PCC) filed a claim with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ("HRTO") alleging that Doug Ford's Ministry of Education and two Ontario school boards discriminated against Palestinian students and the broader Palestinian community on the grounds of race when it suppressed a student video which spoke to the everyday hardship of Palestinians living under military occupation.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more of this type of anti-Palestinian racism in the functioning of Ontario's schools," said Congress vice-president James Kafieh. "When you suppress a video about Palestinian life under occupation, you are sending a very clear message to Palestinian students and their parents — you are saying that they do not matter. We need an action plan to eliminate this racism once and for all," he said.

In or around July 2020, the parent of a student who was taking the Grade 10 Civics and Citizenship online summer school course complained to the York Region District School Board (YRDSB), as well as a number of pro-Israel advocacy organizations, about the content of a student video which she felt was "spreading falsehoods to impressionable teens" regarding the Israel/Palestine issue.

The main points the Palestinian student raised in the video about Israel-Palestine were:

Palestinians in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza live under illegal Israeli occupation.

The Israeli occupation is violent in nature. Palestinian resistance to the occupation is understandable.

Many more Palestinians than Israelis have died as a result of the violence related to the Israeli occupation.

Peace and equality require the end of the Israeli occupation.

On July 21, 2020, YRDSB staff sent an email to the Ministry of Education regarding the use of the video. By the end of the day, July 22, 2020, the Ministry and the YRDSB had identified and removed it, citing anti-Semitic content.

Lawyers with the newly formed Legal Centre for Palestine ("LCP") are assisting PCC with its application to the HRTO. "We felt this application was important given the rising tide of anti-Palestinian racism in schools right across the country," said Stephen Ellis. "The government and its friends in the Israel lobby have to understand that Palestinians will no longer tolerate this racism and that a remedy exists for the suppression of this video under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Apartheid Israel should not be directing the Ontario curriculum."

The filed application names the Palestinian Canadian Congress, the Ministry of Education, the Simcoe District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board as parties.

Demonstrations in Canada Powerfully Affirm Palestinian Right to Be

Montreal

On August 10, Palestinian flags and head scarves coloured Dorchester Square as hundreds of people, the vast majority of them youth, participated in an emergency protest, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. They were there to honour the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people against Zionist terror and to demand an end to Canada's appeasement of Israeli colonial violence.

The action was organized by the Montreal Chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement, a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of young Palestinians dedicated to the liberation of their homeland and people, supported by Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU), Montreal 4 Palestine and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Concordia and McGill University chapters.

A speaker at the rally pointed out that since 2015, Canada has exported $57 million dollars worth of weapons to Israel and $60 million in bomb components, and that in 2021 alone, Canada exported $20 million in military goods. "The rockets that fall [...] are fired by Israel, yes, but they are offered on a silver platter by our government. It's time that Canada end its complicity in the apartheid regime of Israel."

The names and ages of Gaza's most recent martyrs and heroes -- including 16 children -- killed by the Israeli occupation forces in air strikes since August 5, and the three young martyrs killed in Nablus the day after the "ceasefire" came into effect, were read out as the crowd listened in silence.

Participants then noisily marched along St. Catherine Street to the Israeli Consulate. Repeatedly and with determination, they shouted: Palestine Will Live, Palestine Will Win!; Free, Free Gaza!, Free, Free Palestine!; Boycott Israel, Boycott the Criminals; Justice Is Our Demand, No Peace on Stolen Lands!; Canada: Boycott Israel!

The busy commercial street was crowded that summer evening and many in the restaurants and on the terraces took pictures and waved in support, with some joining the march.

As the march ended in front of the Israeli consulate, cordoned off by police, photos of the recent martyrs of Gaza and Nablus were projected on the wall of the building housing the consulate, with captions reading "Intifada," "Unity of all Fronts," "To our Resistance" and others.

Speakers came forward to denounce the role of the Israeli Consulate and Canadian government officials in providing material and financial support for the crimes committed by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people. The crowd shouted "Guilty!" on all counts.

One of the last speakers, a McGill University student, reminded everyone of the McGill administration's attempts to pressure the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) to reverse its Palestine Solidarity Policy, approved by undergraduate students in the Winter 2022 Referendum, that garnered a 71 per cent "yes" vote. The administration has threatened the SSMU that if it were to implement its Palestine Solidarity Policy, the collection of ancillary fees that go towards financing SSMU activities will be withdrawn.

An earlier threat came on July 27, with the organization B'nai Brith's announcement that it is funding a McGill University student's lawsuit against the McGill administration, the SSMU and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill. In a recent news release, B'nai Brith said members of the SSMU endorsed a document accusing Israel of apartheid against Palestinians and committed to boycotting "complicit" entities.

The rally ended with more speeches and a candlelight vigil in honour of all Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupation forces.

Despite ruthless attempts to break Palestinians' collective resistance spirit, this latest war has been named "The Unity of All Fronts," with participants vowing to continue the struggle until full liberation and return.

Ottawa

Hundreds of people -- a large number of youth, including young children with their parents -- gathered at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa on August 10, in response to the call of the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians, Palestinian Youth Movement, Samidoun and Carleton Students for Justice.

The names of the 16 children and youth who were killed by the brutal Israeli air strike were read out loud. Some of the children and young people were merely sitting peacefully in a park.

The children were:
Jamil Najm al-Deen Naijm,
Alaa Abdullah Riyad Qaddoum,
Momen al-Nairab,
Haneen Abu Qaida,
Ahmed Yasser Nimr al-Nabaheen,
Hazem Salem,
Ahmad al-Nairab,
Jamil Ihab Najim,
Muhammad Yasser Nimr al-Nabahin,
Dalia Yasser Nimr al-Nabaheen,
Mohammed Hassouna,
Hamed Haider Najim,
Nazmi Fayez Abu Karsh,
Ahmed Walid al-Farram,
Mohammed Salah Naijm, and
Khalil Abu Hamada.

Support for the struggle of the Palestinian people for liberation and justice, and their unconditional right to resist the violence of an occupier were at the heart of each intervention, and met with the thunderous applause of those present.

Among the demands put forward were: End the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement as well as all arms sales to Israel; Israel must lift its illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip; and the U.S., Canada and the European Union must stop providing military, political and economic support to the Zionist State. That support is fully responsible for the Zionist occupation, providing Israel with, among other things, the weaponry used to kill the Palestinian people, including children, and to enable the Nakba -- ongoing for the past 75 years -- to continue. The release of all Palestinian prisoners was also demanded, including Khalil Awawdeh, father of four, who has been on a hunger strike for over 150 days and is still being detained.

Other important points made were that ceasefires mean very little to the Israeli occupation forces and vigilance is required to see to it that the achievements of the Palestinian Resistance's selfless and self-sacrificing struggle, continue to be upheld. Several Rabbis made the trip from New York to join the demonstration and express their full support for the Palestinian people. They opposed Zionism and the Zionist state which goes against all principles of Judaism, they said. They called for the Zionist state to be dismantled.

The people marched up Elgin Street, shouting Viva, Viva, Palestina! Our Existence is Resistance! They denounced Zionist aggression and occupation and the appeasement and complicity of the Canadian government every step of the way.

The march passed in front of the Prime Minister's Office, and marched through to the Byward Market, where large groups of people gathered around, and then proceeded up to the Israeli Embassy. Motorists and passers-by expressed their support in various ways.

Windsor

On the evening of August 11 about 70 people rallied on the riverfront in downtown Windsor to honour the 46 people, including 16 children, killed August 5-7 by Israel's "pre-emptive" bombings of densely populated residential areas in Gaza. They condemned this latest criminal act of the occupying power.

Organizers from the Windsor Palestinian Solidarity Group and the large majority of those in attendance were youth, joined by others of all ages, with a large presence of women and children. Many carried Palestinian flags and wore Palestinian keffiyeh and other traditional Palestinian clothing.

In opening the rally, two speakers denounced Israel's wanton killing of Palestinian children and other civilians in the attacks it regularly carries out with impunity, especially in besieged and blockaded Gaza, with false claims of acting in self-defence. They pointed out the importance of informing neighbours and friends in person and through social media networks of these ongoing crimes -- violations of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people.

It is more necessary than ever, they emphasized, to speak out so these atrocities become known since the big media do not report the truth and social media platforms where people post about Palestinian rights are being taken down.

The rally was followed by a spirited march through the streets of downtown Windsor to City Hall and back. Demonstrators shouted slogans, drawing attention and gestures of support from passersby and people enjoying the evening on outdoor patios along the way. Some of the slogans were Free Free Palestine!; Israel Out of Gaza!; 2, 4, 6, 8, Israel Is an Apartheid State!; and Resistance Is Justified Where People Are Occupied!

On returning to the riverfront, a solemn candlelight vigil was held for the 46 martyrs and their names and ages were read out. Many lingered to discuss with friends, old and new, the need for Canada to be held to account for continuing to cover for the crimes of the Israeli state rather than condemning them. They spoke also of what to do about the role Canada is playing in supporting the dangerous U.S. warmongering and troublemaking in other parts of the world.

Vancouver

Toronto

An emergency rally in Toronto on August 13 was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and their allies to condemn the most recent Zionist aggression and aerial bombardment of Gaza. The action, part of ongoing actions in Canada and around the world in support of the Palestinian people, was held across from the U.S. consulate. It honoured as well the martyrdom of resistance fighters Ibrahim al-Nabulsi and Islam Sabouh, and underscored that their heroic lives will live in the continuing fight of the Palestinian people until Palestine is free. The overarching spirit of the rally that the youth in particular exemplified was that of defying the Zionist state of Israel and its brutal attempts to extinguish the Palestinian people's right to be.

The action denounced the decades-long financing of the Zionist colonial project in historic Palestine by the U.S. imperialists. Speakers pointed out that the billions of dollars that the U.S. gives to Israel, along with military assistance, are what keep the Zionist state afloat and fund the ongoing violence, terror and genocide against the Palestinian people.

Speakers also denounced Canada's funding and arming of the Israeli military that is committing war crimes against the Palestinian people as well as the silence and cowardice of sitting politicians in parliament and demanded that they speak out instead of whitewashing Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

Another important point raised was the attempt by the Canadian government and post-secondary institutions to silence academics and students who support the just cause of the Palestinian people. A speaker from the Palestinian Student Association at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus pointed out that students and academics have a right to speak their conscience and uphold the truth of the Palestinian people's struggle, and nothing will deter them from affirming that right.

In the course of the action militant slogans were chanted in English and Arabic affirming the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation, their right to self-determination, and their heroism.

The names of those killed in Gaza in the latest Israeli military assault were read out and a minute's silence observed in their memory. White roses were placed on the stage beside their names and some of the participants wrote messages of solidarity and support to the Palestinian people.

The action concluded with a representative of the Palestinian Youth Movement affirming that they will continue to organize and denounce the crimes being committed by Israel against the largely unarmed Palestinian people. She expressed confidence that despite the most heinous crimes and brutality being carried out against them, the Palestinian people's cause is just and enjoys wide support in Canada and around the world. She also reiterated that as Canadians of Palestinian nationality they will continue to stand with their friends and families in Gaza and elsewhere and continue supporting their organized resistance to affirm their right to be, their right to their historic homeland, their dignity and their national rights as a people. She thanked all the participants and called on them to continue to speak out in support of the Palestinian people.