Friday, November 15, 2024

Canada's Complicity with U.S./Zionist Genocide

Official Canada Refuses to Meet with UN
Special Rapporteur on the Occupied
Palestinian Territories

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, October 5, 2024

• Official Canada Refuses to Meet with UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

• Toronto Meeting with UN Special Rapporteur

• Court Proceedings Launched Against Canada's Violations of the Genocide Convention and Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• November 1 –- Date on Which Algerian Revolution Began in
1954, 70 Years Ago

• No Letup in Steadfast Support for Heroic Resistance in Palestine

Canada's Complicity with U.S./Zionist Genocide

Official Canada Refuses to Meet with UN
Special Rapporteur on the Occupied
Palestinian Territories

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, visited Canada at the beginning of November as part of a speaking tour of North American universities. She had also been scheduled to meet with government officials including Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and to speak to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee but the invitations were withdrawn without explanation before she arrived in Canada.

Albanese held a press conference on November 5 on Parliament Hill at which she stated: "It is not lost on me that despite the urgency of the current moment, with a few important exceptions, the political leadership in this country chose to either not meet me or withdraw invitations to meet me. What are they fearing?"

At the press conference Albanese stated she was "snubbed" by both Global Affairs Canada and the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Minister of Foreign Affair's office responded to media inquires for an explanation for the cancellation of these meetings.

Prior to her arrival, Zionist forces in Canada and Israel carried out what can best be described as hate propaganda, demanding that the Canadian government refuse to allow Albanese entry to Canada. The National Post carried an article on November 1 penned by Arsen Ostrovsky, a lawyer and CEO of the International Legal Forum, a Zionist NGO based in Israel, in which he wrote: "If the Canadian government is serious about tackling the unabated surge in Jew-hatred, it will deny entry to this unrepentant anti-Semite and terror apologist, masquerading as a UN official."

At the November 5 press conference Albanese noted as well, "It is clear to me that the Canadian people want more clarity, integrity and concrete action from their government on the atrocities we all see unfolding in Palestine, in Gaza."

The same government of Canada which gives standing ovations in the Parliament to a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator who was a member of the Waffen SS will not meet with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It will not discuss how to get humanitarian aid to the people of northern Gaza where the worst human rights catastrophe is taking place as a result of U.S./Zionist policy and actions.

While in Ottawa Albanese meets with members of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary
Friendship Group, November 5, 2024

This is the kind of democracy Canada espouses today which justifies genocide under the banner of high ideals. Official Canada's refusal to meet with an official appointed by the UN Human Rights Council gives the lie to Canada's shameless self-promotion as a democracy, champion of human rights and of rule of law.

Albanese speaks at McGill University in Montreal, November 4, 2024

In contrast, the Canadian and Quebec people welcomed Albanese. At McGill University, the meeting had to be moved from the Faculty of Law to a ballroom at the Student Union building and had a standing-room only audience. She spoke at the University of Ottawa to a sold-out gathering. In Toronto an event at the University of Toronto on November 7 was sold out, attended by 500 people.

University of Ottawa, November 5, 2024

In response to the attacks by the U.S./Zionist lobby against Albanese, 30 international Jewish organizations, including, from Canada -- Independent Jewish Voices (Canada), If Not Now Canada and the United Jewish People's Order -- issued a joint letter on November 5 which stated in part:

"Ms. Albanese has been under relentless attack from politically motivated organizations like 'UN Watch,' which have been waging toxic smear campaigns to silence her and to harm her human rights mandate. Those organizations have one objective: shielding the Israeli government from international criticism and legal accountability.

"Regrettably, representatives of some Western governments have been giving a strong tailwind to these smear campaigns, by accusing Ms. Albanese of anti-Semitism. We reject such allegations, which are unfounded and recklessly incite against Ms. Albanese, at the risk of endangering her personal safety.

"Speaking out in defence of more than two million civilians in Gaza whose lives are existentially threatened, including by deliberate starvation, Ms. Albanese has been denouncing the political collusion and military complicity of Western governments in Israel's annihilation of Gaza. Instead of stopping Israel's war crimes, some of those governments are attempting to silence the messenger."

The joint letter ends: "We commend the exceptional moral steadfastness of UN Human Rights Rapporteur Albanese amid the unspeakable suffering of the Palestinians and in the face of the malign attacks against her and her UN mandate."

Ms. Albanese's most recent report issued October 1, entitled "Genocide as Colonial Erasure" can be found here.

UN Special Rapporteur Albanese receives standing ovation at her visit to the University of Toronto, November 7, 2024.

Toronto Meeting with UN Special Rapporteur

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, spoke on November 8 at the Steelworkers' Hall in Toronto during her week-long visit to Canada. The meeting was organized by Independent Jewish Voices and supported by the Toronto Area Council of the United Steelworkers on a day's notice by word of mouth. Some 150 union members, students, youth and community activists participated. Albanese made brief introductory remarks and then the floor was opened for discussion and questions.

The main point Albanese drove home was that what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank is not a war but a genocide. She said that Israel clearly has the intent to exterminate the Palestinian people through massacres, starvation and displacement. There can be no confusion about this, she emphasized.

She also pointed out that all efforts must be exercised by the international community to end the genocide. Pointing to the recent International Court of Justice ruling in July that Israel must end its occupation, dismantle its settlements, provide reparations and facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians, Albanese pointed out that it is the responsibility of all countries, including Canada, to ensure that the ruling is followed. She called on all people of conscience in Canada to step up efforts toward this aim, including by holding the Canadian government to account for its shameful unqualified support for Israel.

She called on the workers in particular to use their unions and numbers to speak out against the genocide. She applauded the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Canada, as well as efforts by Canadians to put an end to the shady NGOs and "charities" which are raising funds illegally to finance the genocide. She suggested that Canadian pension plans that are invested in Israel should be investigated and asked to divest from Israel.

She added that her next report to the UN will include the role of banks and private industry, NGOs and charities invested in Israel to shine a light on how they are supporting genocide in that country.

In concluding her remarks Albanese expressed hope and conviction that by continuing to work together and uniting politically, using all means including legal actions to hold Israel and its supporters to account, Canadians will make an indelible contribution to the ultimate victory of the Palestinian people.

Court Proceedings Launched Against Canada's Violations of the Genocide Convention and Charter of Rights and Freedoms

On November 5, the Legal Centre for Palestine (LCP), together with other members of the Coalition for Canadian Accountability in Gaza, filed a claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against the Attorney General of Canada on behalf of two Canadians. The two plaintiffs have suffered and continue to suffer horrendous consequences as a result of Canada's continuing support for the U.S./Zionist genocide in Gaza as well as violations of their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Speaking at a press conference on November 6 at the West Block, Parliament Hill, criminal defence and human rights lawyer Shane Martinez, a member of the legal team, called this a "historic milestone to hold Canada accountable for not taking reasonable measures to prevent Israel's genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. This refusal to act, in combination with Canada's bolstering of Israel's military capabilities has had devastating consequences on Palestinian Canadians including our clients. These consequences engage two important legal instruments, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

There are two plaintiffs in the case. Hany el Batnigi was born in Gaza and fled Palestine with his family during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. He and his family subsequently moved to Canada. He first returned to Gaza in September 2023, where he was trapped when the U.S./Zionist siege of Gaza began on October 8, and was forcefully displaced several times. During the time that he was trapped in Gaza, he made four attempts to cross the border into Egypt. During one of the attempts he was injured in a bomb blast. He was finally able to leave around November 7, 2023. Since his return to Canada he has unsuccessfully pleaded with the federal government to evacuate his family members from Gaza while Canada has been sending military aircraft to evacuate Israeli-Canadians from Israel. Many of his family members remain in Gaza. Many have been killed or injured by the Israeli attacks. Hany was also denied the right to sponsor family members in Gaza to Canada under the Gaza Special Measures temporary visa program because of his inability as a pensioner to shoulder the costs.

The other plaintiff, Tamer Jarada, was born in Gaza in 1986 and has resided in Canada since 2011. When Israel's bombardments commenced, Tamer's parents, sisters, uncle, aunt, and other family members sought shelter in an empty apartment that he owned in Gaza City. The apartment was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on October 25, 2023, taking the lives of his father, uncle, aunt, two sisters, nephews, cousins and other extended family members. Other members of his family have been killed in the weeks and months since by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Those that remain are facing starvation and medical complications. Some members of Tamer's family have escaped to Egypt but his attempts to sponsor his relatives to Canada under the Gaza Special Measures program have been extremely challenging due to hurdles such as the stringent security imposed on refugees from Gaza that are not imposed on others fleeing conflicts, such as those from Syria and Ukraine.

The 112-page Statement of Claim filed with the Court provides evidence for the claims that Canada has failed in its duty to prevent genocide by continuing to supply armaments to Israel, by refusing to impose sanctions against Israel in the face of genocide, by failing to prevent Canadian citizens from serving in Israel's armed forces, by allowing Canadian charities to raise funds to support Israel's illegal acts and by failing to suspend the Canada-Israel Strategic Partnership, Canada-Israel military cooperation and through other actions.

The case also details how the Gaza Special Measures program has failed to assist persons fleeing the genocide in Gaza.

On its website The Legal Centre for Palestine, under the title "Hold the Canadian Government to Account Over Gaza" outlines the remedies that they are seeking, which are:

1. A declaration that Canada has a common law duty to take all measures within its power to prevent genocide;

2. A declaration that Canada has violated the Plaintiffs' rights to security of the person, contrary to section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ("the Charter"), by failing to take all measures within its power to prevent Israel from committing genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza;

3. A declaration that Canada has violated the Plaintiffs' rights to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination, contrary to section 15 of the Charter, by subjecting them to differential and discriminatory treatment on the basis of their national or ethnic origin as Palestinian people seeking safety for themselves and their loved ones in the face of a plausible case of genocide; and

4. A declaration that the Respondent's violations of the Plaintiff's rights under sections 7 and 15 of the Charter do not accord with principles of fundamental justice and are not saved by section 1 of the Charter.

The plaintiffs are represented by the Coalition for Canadian Accountability in Gaza, which consists of lawyers from the Legal Centre for Palestine (LCP), the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) -- Canada, Hameed Law and Dimitri Lascaris. To read the Statement of Claim or contribute financially to support the case see the LCP website here.

(With files from the LCP, ICJP)

November 1 – Date on Which Algerian Revolution Began in 1954, 70 Years Ago

Montreal, November 3, 2024

At the weekly march held in Montreal on November 3, a young woman of Algerian descent spoke eloquently about the commitment, heroism and profound striving for freedom of those who fought, seventy years ago, to achieve Algerian independence. She said:

"... in the early hours of November 1, 1954, the sound of bullets rang out across Algeria to herald the outbreak of the war of independence. If you do a quick search of the archives surrounding November 1, 1954, you'll see that the international press unanimously condemned the attacks by the rebels, describing them as barbaric, bloody, terrorist and unjustified.

"As you can see, the vocabulary of the press has not changed since then, nor has its capacity for discernment. November 1, 1954 was orchestrated by six heroes of the revolution, six men who France was quick to call terrorists, condemn to death and forbid the population from even uttering their names. Yet these men had a dream that they shared with 8 million Algerians, that of a free Algeria. [...] Once again, people whose names you can't speak, that sounds awfully familiar today."

She drew attention to the similarities between the Algerian and Palestinian struggles, "so that you know that today is not so different from yesterday, and that the colonizers, whatever their name, whatever their face, always reproduce the same stratagem of ethnic cleansing, brutal repression against civilians and, of course, what they do best: calling resistance fighters who stand up against the injustices of the occupiers, terrorists."

"My grandfather, like all his compatriots, was called a terrorist when he fought against the French army. Did this defamation make them back down or stop? No, because they had promised to fight until total liberation. [...]

"The colonists think that with time we forget, they think they'll wear us down. But when will they finally understand that the colonized peoples do not forget, that their children do not forget, that their grandchildren will not forget, that generation after generation we will fight with ever greater ferocity.

"On the other hand, those who forget, those who have a short memory, are the colonists and their offspring. They believed until very recently, until a year and almost a month ago, that the Palestinian cause was dead.

"They believed that the Palestinian children of today, whose parents stood steadfast in front of Merkava tanks during the first and then the second Intifada, they believed that these children had forgotten the noble struggle of their ancestors.

"The colonizers thought that these brave parents had given birth to cowards. But tell me, who are the cowards who today, from their planes or in their tanks, decimate the civilian population and consider it a military victory?

"Today, I'm going to speak to the sceptics, to those who doubt, who wait, who count the days, who despair, because it's been over a year, because the death toll is rising, because they've killed our leaders, because a priori there's no way out: a lie!

"Let me tell you that after November 1, 1954, eight years of bloody war followed, eight years of war. I'm not talking about 132 years of colonization, but eight years of war, during which France killed the Algerians in every possible way, — starved them, burnt them alive with napalm, killed them in their villages, in their towns, killed them in France, drowned them in the Seine.

"And France murdered many, if not most, of our Resistance fighters. Among them was Larbi Ben M'hidi, the mastermind behind November 1, 1954, and to this day, as we speak, we still don't know where his remains lie, or those of many of our resistance fighters.

"Today is not so different from yesterday. Despite eight years of torture, eight years of colonialism, eight years of fighting, eight years of lost battles too, and after more than 1.5 million Algerians had shed their blood, victory was achieved.

"Today, Israel is repeating the same stratagem, only worse. We are telling them today that they can continue their barbaric crimes against the population. They can continue to target our leaders, [...] they can continue to try to humiliate the Palestinians. But they will never succeed in taking away Gaza from the Palestinians."

No Letup in Steadfast Support for Heroic
Resistance in Palestine

Montreal

November 2

November 3

November 9

Ottawa

November 3

Several hundred people gathered at the Human Rights Monument on November 9 and marched through the streets of Ottawa in a Children's March for Palestine and Lebanon.

The protest was dedicated to the children of Gaza, as November marks one year since a press conference was held by children outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City which was under siege by the Israeli Occupation Forces. At that press conference, fifteen children appealed to the world: "Since October 7, we have been subjected to genocide, killing, displacement, and bombs falling on our heads in front of the whole world. They are lying to the world, saying that they are targeting Resistance fighters, but as children, we have escaped death more than once. We came to Al-Shifa Hospital as a safe place after we were repeatedly exposed to bombing. We were surprised that we were once again exposed to death after the occupation targeted Al-Shifa Hospital. The occupation starves us. For many days, we have no water or food, or even bread. We drink contaminated water. We came to shout as children, urging you all to protect us. Stop the death. We want life. We want peace. We want a trial for the killers. We want medicine. We want food. We want education. We want life."

Referring to that press conference, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement said: "Those children spoke out for an entire generation caught up in a brutal genocide. One year later, here we are, still haunted by their cries. Gaza has paid an unfathomable price. The places where people should find refuge, such as hospitals and schools, were bombed and destroyed. And yet, those children did not give up. Even as bombs rained down, they remained a symbol of something that cannot be broken, the unyielding will to survive, to hope, to live. They remain even now a voice for all of us, calling for justice, for protection and for the chance to live without fear. We must stand together and demand that civilians, children's hospitals, the most vulnerable, be protected. We must hold those responsible for the suffering accountable."

She introduced three speakers, who were all children. A 15-year-old girl who arrived in Ottawa from Gaza six months ago spoke of the conditions her family went through, the displacements, the hunger, and the loss of friends and family. She said that her best friend was found under the rubble when her building was bombed. She was alive for three days but no one could save her, and her body is still under the rubble. The girl called out: "Please stop the war. Protect the children. I can't bring back those who died, but I speak for the 1.4 million children still in Gaza. Don't forget the children of Gaza. Keep talking about us. Use your voice to end this war."

November 9

Kingston

November 13

Toronto

November 2

November 9

Sarnia

November 9

Windsor

On October 29 doctors along with other health care professionals and their supporters demonstrated for over an hour in front of Windsor Regional Hospital's Ouellette Campus to protest Israel's systematic destruction of hospitals and killing of health care workers and patients in Northern Gaza and Lebanon. The demonstration, the first of its kind in Windsor, was organized in response to a call by Doctors Against Genocide for actions in solidarity with health care workers in Palestine and Lebanon who are putting their lives on the line to try and save their patients. Passing motorists showed their appreciation for the demonstrators by enthusiastically honking their horns and offering other gestures of support. The action ended with a vigil on the hospital lawn where two doctors spoke about the Geneva Conventions and other international laws that prohibit the targeting of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, and demanded that they be upheld to put an end to the atrocities Israel is carrying out with impunity.