Photo Review, November 16 to 19

Worldwide Opposition to Israel's Crimes Against the Palestinian People

CANADA
 
Halifax

Some 500 people participated in a militant two and a half hour rally outside the Halifax International Security Forum, November 19, denouncing the war conference and standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The event was organized by the Atlantic Canada Palestine Society in collaboration with No Harbour for War.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and and Halifax Mayor Mike Savage were both present at the conference. They, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, were rightly accused by protestors of support for Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people.

Speakers at the rally included representatives of Independent Jewish Voices, No Harbour for War, Voice of Women and others. Through their speeches, slogans and signs, the demonstrators made clear that Halifax is no harbour for war, and that Haligonians stand firmly with the Palestinian people on the side of peace, freedom and justice, and that they have a right to defend themselves and resist the Zionists and their occupation.

November 19

Montreal, QC

Protest shuts down the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, November 16.

On November 18, a huge crowd once again gathered at Dorchester Square in downtown Montreal to demand an immediate ceasefire. This is also the demand of the world's peoples and the majority of governments.

Speaker after speaker denounced the war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, with the full complicity of the Canadian and U.S. governments and the former European colonial powers such as France and Great Britain, which created the conditions for the partition of Palestine at the beginning of the 20th century. A speaker representing Independent Jewish Voices said, "As Jews, "we refuse to allow crimes and genocide to be committed in our name." To the cheers and applause of the crowd, estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 people, she added, "We are all in this together, Palestinians and non-Palestinians, because "We will not be free until Palestine is free!

"Here in Montreal, various forces are trying to maintain a wall of fear between the Jewish and Palestinian communities. Our response to them is that we refuse to be their hostages, and that we stand in solidarity with Montreal's Palestinian, Arab and Jewish communities," she said. She recalled that people in Montreal, as in the rest of Canada, have been attacked for daring to take a principled stand in defence of the Palestinian people, who are being dehumanized as a means of justifying mass murder. She added that when it comes to fighting anti-Semitism, we must never lose sight of the Gaza Strip. "How can we claim to defend the Jewish community while denying the same protection to the Palestinian people?" she asked, to applause from the ever-growing crowd.

She spoke of courage as being the acts of coming together daily in the streets, speaking out against injustice in the face of untold pressure here in Canada not to tell the truth. "Being courageous," she noted, "also means declaring 'From the river to the sea' at a time when activists are arrested for daring to call for the liberation of Palestine and equal rights for all!" The crowd responded over and over: From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free!

She made an appeal to elected representatives: "The least you can do is take a stand and speak out on what's happening. It is your responsibility as elected representatives to represent the will of the people and preserve human dignity everywhere. For six weeks you have failed us, tried to silence us, repressed us and ignored our calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the illegal occupation. Every day that you remain silent out of apprehension or fear is just one more day of starvation and death for the people of Gaza." Her advice to Justin Trudeau is: "Stop bending over backwards to bullies and war criminals who, in the face of such unimaginable suffering în Palestine, want to impose silence, and add your voice to ours and demand a ceasefire now!" She ended, "From coast to coast, let's put an end to the illegal occupation and to Canadian complicity!"

A young woman of Palestinian origin reminded the crowd that a people's collective memory is precious and must be preserved, even in tragic situations such as those currently being experienced by the Palestinian people. She announced a project to record the names of all Palestinians who have died since October 7, along with their ages, where they died and the circumstances that led to their deaths. 

The crowd then marched for over two hours, chanting slogans such as We Are All Palestinians!, with many passers-by taking photos and others displaying Palestinian flags from the balconies of their homes, and motorists honking their horns. The march ended in front of the Israeli Consulate, where more speeches were heard in support of the Palestinian people. The action concluded with organizers calling on all participants to come out in large numbers to a national march on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at 1:00 pm on November 25.

For information on how to travel to Ottawa by bus from Montreal, Toronto or Mississauga, click here.

November 18 

Ottawa

Close to 10,000 people gathered on Parliament Hill on November 19 and marched through downtown Ottawa to demand freedom for Palestine. Before the march, young adults and children once again led the way in chanting for a ceasefire now, to end the ongoing genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza, to end Canada's complicity in Israel's war crimes and for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea!

Representatives of the Palestinian Student Associations at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa pointed out that we are continuing to witness the Canadian government arming and supporting the Zionist State of Israel as it commits genocide against the people of Gaza. They said that the death toll of Palestinians murdered by Israel has climbed to over 12,000 people, including 500 children, and is rising every hour and that the Canadian government is aiding and abetting the genocide that is unfolding right before our eyes.

"Prime Minister Trudeau, is it acceptable to you that a two-year orphan had both his legs amputated without anaesthesia because of a bomb dropped on him by a regime you aided and abetted for the past 40 days? Is it acceptable to you, Prime Minister Trudeau, that dozens of babies are slowly dying because the incubators no longer function? Prime Minister Trudeau, are you ready to go down in history as a Prime Minister who allowed the genocide of Palestine to take place?" they asked.

Next to speak were two Palestinian children who read a poem Then, a Palestinian Was Born.

They were followed by a former physician from Pakistan and now mental health advocate from the Canadian Health Care Workers' Alliance for Gaza. She reminded everyone that November 20 is International Children's Day, when the call is made for concerted efforts to provide children of the world with the support and protection they need. She said the children of Gaza are facing a range of challenges such as physical harm, displacement, loss of family members, destruction of education and long-term psychological trauma, that they are subjected to inhumane treatment and punishment. "On this day," she said, "we demand an immediate ceasefire and the restoration of basic human necessities like electricity and water and to stop the relentless killing of children in Gaza. Ceasefire now!"

NDP MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre) was invited to speak. He said, among other things, that he was to personally deliver letters from over 500 Palestinian families and dozens of civic organizations to the Prime Minister and to Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly for an urgent call for a family reunification program in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The letters call upon the government of Canada to expand its immigration pathways for faster family reunification and for displaced persons in Gaza to be reunited with their families in Canada, following the examples used for Ukrainian nationals.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement thanked Green for coming out and speaking in support of Palestinians, but said that she wanted to highlight to all politicians and to all MPs that a ceasefire is not enough, that an end must be put to Zionist colonization and occupation of the Palestinian homeland. She also pointed out that the violence of the occupier should never be equated to the rightful resistance of a colonized people. She said: "Not only do we demand a ceasefire, we demand active decolonization. The Zionist project of Israel is, and always has been, a settler colonial project and has to be called out as such. We need an end to the occupation, an end to the siege of Gaza, an end to Canadian arms sales to Israel and an end to the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and, more importantly, the right of return for all refugees, a free Palestine, from the river to the sea!"

She then announced the upcoming National March on Ottawa for Palestine on November 25 at 1:00 pm, for which people will come from cities across Canada.

"I promise you, the tide is turning. We are witnessing a glimpse into the future, where we can return to Palestine, a liberated Palestine, where we can enjoy the fruits of our liberation struggle. The government can choose to ignore us, but the people are rising up from every corner of the globe to demand a free Palestine. We have a duty, a responsibility as people within the imperial core, to fight against this imperialist violence, to confront Zionism as it exists right here in Canada. It is our role in the wider struggle for the liberation of Palestine and we have to continue to show up tirelessly for our brothers and sisters of Gaza," she said.

She ended by stating that November 25 will be the biggest pro-Palestinian protest in Canada's history. "It will be written about in the history books and everyone has a role to play. The world is rising to demand freedom for the Palestinian people. We will not rest until we see a free Palestine!"

November 19

Protest at the Prime Minister's Office, November 16

ONTARIO

Toronto

November 16

Demonstration outside CBC building, November 18, standing with health care workers in Gaza.

As part of the ongoing actions in support of the people of Gaza and Palestine, thousands of people from Toronto and as far away as Hamilton and Pickering, participated in a rally and march on November 18. The event was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement with the support of numerous other organizations. The event started in front of the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue where the organizers affirmed that they will not be silent and will continue to organize and demand an end to the genocide being carried out by the U.S.-backed Israeli government.

At the action, an Indigenous woman activist living in Toronto, who has family in Gaza, called out the brutal colonial regime that is Canada as part of western imperialism, which is complicit in the brutal killing that is going on in Gaza. She highlighted the longstanding solidarity between the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, who have been historically subjected to brutal and inhumane conditions, to the similar situation faced by the people of Gaza and Palestine. It is one and the same genocidal system that dehumanizes us, to displace us from our lands, and to oppress us, she added and this system has to go.

Two of the main chants along the march were Ceasefire Now! and From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free! Other chants included End the Siege of Gaza Now! and It Is not an Occupation, It Is Not a War, It Is Genocide!

The action denounced the cowardice of politicians -- starting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden -- for their silence in the face of Israel's ongoing massacres of Gazan civilians -- more than 12,000 killed with half of them children, with many more injured. Speakers condemned the ongoing war crimes being committed by Israel, which has violated every right that humanitarian law says they are obligated to guarantee for a people under occupation by the Geneva Convention of 1949.

The CBC and other media outlets were also denounced for repeating the disinformation and lies of the Zionist state of Israel and being the mouthpiece for the justifications of the heinous crimes of that country and its U.S. sponsors.

The participants marched up University Avenue, then past the University of Toronto and through Chinatown, waving a sea of Palestinian flags and chanting slogans along the way. Many people out shopping and along the sidewalks raised their fists in support. The action turned eastward onto Queen Street past various banks including Royal Bank, Scotia Bank and CIBC branches where the protesters put stickers to denounce the billions of dollars that these financial institutions are investing in the U.S.-Israeli war machine that is killing innocent people in Gaza.

At the end of the action, the organizers proclaimed that these actions will continue until Palestine is Free and invited everyone to Ottawa on November 25 for the National Day of Action on Parliament Hill.

November 18

Barrie

November 18

London

November 19

Windsor

For two hours on Saturday November 18 members and supporters of Windsor4Palestine waved Palestinian flags from two pedestrian walkways above busy stretches of Huron Church Road/Highway 401 and the E.C. Row Expressway.

Large banners calling for a ceasefire and for Canada to stop funding war crimes were attached to the Huron Church overpass, while activists stood on both sides of the road waving flags and holding a banner saying End the Genocide in Gaza. Huron Church is the access road to the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. Truck drivers heading to and from the bridge were among the many people who honked their horns and waved as soon as they saw the Palestinian flags flying and mounted on the sides of the overpass. Truckers and other motorists travelling on the expressway responded in the same way to those standing on the overpass there. Windsor West NDP Member of Parliament, Brian Masse, in whose riding the actions took place, attended the one on Huron Church Road.

Children who accompanied their parents drew and wrote messages of support for the Palestinian people and their cause on the floors of both walkways, one of which is used primarily by students of nearby Assumption High School.

Simultaneous actions on two overpasses on November 18 -- on Huron Church Road/401 leading to Ambassador bridge and on the E.C. Row Expressway.

Kitchener-Waterloo

November 19

ALBERTA

Calgary

On November 19, Calgary's weekly rally, organized by Justice for Palestinians (JFP) and Voice of the Oppressed began at Calgary City Hall, followed by a militant march through the downtown. Over 5,000 people took part, making it the largest protest since the actions began. Organizers noted that Calgary has held actions for the past six week, part of actions in dozens of cities across Canada and hundreds around the world, part of the millions taking non-stop action for a ceasefire, an end to the genocide and the siege of Gaza. In Calgary in the past week, sit-ins were held at two MPs' offices, petitions have been signed and circulated, and meetings have been held with elected officials calling on the to take a stand.

Immediately following opening remarks, lead organizer of Justice for Palestinians Wesam Khaled addressed the demonstration, regarding his arrest by Calgary police following the November 5 rally and the staying of charges on November 17. His arrest was based on accusations that the longstanding protest chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" constituted "offensive anti-Semitic comments." He was warmly welcomed back after having been barred from taking part in protests until the charges were stayed.

Wesam expressed his appreciation for the immense amount of support he received after his arrest. He went on to provide clarity on what the chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" means.

"Palestinians have not known freedom since the establishment of the Zionist Israeli state, since the violent expulsion of the people of that land that the establishment of that state necessitated, and the denial of their rights to return to that land, and their political and human rights under occupation. They have been denied to the Palestinian people in their homeland since 1948. And our call 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' is a call for freedom. It is not a call for racism, it is not a call to commit violence against anyone, it is a call for freedom. It is a call for an end to racism, it is a call for an end to the violence built on a just peace with the Palestinian people living in equality in that land, with all of the people who call Palestine their homeland, starting their own land. That's what that chart represents." These comments also met with massive chants and approvals from those gathered.

Wesam pointed out that the charges against him were stayed, not dropped. It means the authorities "can reactivate [the charges] at any point over the next 12 months. So they've got this hanging over me. But it's not going to stop me and it's not going to stop any of us. And the truth is, our power is not built around me, or any of the leaders here. Everyone here is a leader. Our movement is built on the power of the people. And it doesn't matter that I was arrested, it doesn't matter if they arrest me again, because we know, we understand something that these tyrants will never understand that when you knock one of us down, there are 1,000 more of us."

Among the other speakers was a man and his young daughter who have recently arrived in Calgary from Gaza. He said he was in Gaza during the war and didn't think he would survive to be here. He described the horror of being at home during the bombing -- no food, no water, no electricity, underneath everything. He said, "Imagine your family being under the rubble and there is nothing you can do." He explained that many of his family members are still in Gaza and ended his moving account of the living hell the people of Gaza are living through saying, "Gaza Needs Your Help!" and "Justin Trudeau Wake Up! That's Enough!"

Thousands marched throughout downtown Calgary chanting slogans non-stop, Free, Free Palestine, Ceasefire Now! as well as chants charging Biden and Trudeau with responsibility for genocide and that Israel is a terrorist state. The people filled blocks and blocks down the Stephens Avenue Mall and filled the sidewalks and roadway of 9th Avenue NW chanting From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free. While the open mic session of the rally was being organized some kept on marching north to 4th Avenue and Macleod Trail.

There was a very heavy police presence downtown, which included officers mounted on horseback. This has been the case at all the demonstrations standing with Palestine, and was for purposes of intimidation, which has not succeeded.

Media reports indicate that five people were arrested by the Calgary Police Service (CPS). Three demonstrators have been charged with assaulting a peace officer and a fourth person was charged with obstructing a peace officer. A fifth person was released without charges. Police tried to justify the arrest of those who carried on marching saying that traffic had been halted on 4th Avenue SE, and claimed that the behaviour of the crowd was "escalating." They did not report that the entire 9th Avenue -- a major roadway in downtown Calgary had been closed down for the march and that at the action the week before at Macleod Trail and 4th Avenue SE, where the Harry Hays federal building is located, the same roadway had been shut down with no charges laid.

It is not acceptable that the CPS and various levels of the Canadian state set themselves up as judge and jury of what they deem as acceptable when it comes to the people defending their right to protest and exercising their right to stand for what they know to be a just cause.

November 19

Edmonton

November 18

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Vancouver

November 18

Victoria

November 19

Duncan

More than 200 community members from Cowichan and other towns and cities on Vancouver Island gathered in Duncan on November 18 for a march and rally "to declare in definite terms their love, regard and care, very enthusiastically, for the people of Occupied Palestine." Speakers included long-time activists for a Free Palestine and a representative of the Palestinian Youth Movement in Nanaimo and others. They spoke of the history of the three-generation struggle of the Palestinian people and the current situation in Gaza, denouncing "the murderous actions of the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) backed up by all Western nations to one degree or another." Organizers distributed a letter signed by the federal NDP caucus at the Constituency Office of their local MP. The letter calls for a ceasefure and organizers said, "We are still waiting for the [federal] government itself to take the same position and the fact they have not is truly disgusting." Participants marched and called for a Ceasefure Now! Free Free Palestine! and From the River to the Sea -- Palestine Will be Free! before dispersing at a local park, enthusiastically agreeing to march again the following weekend.

November 18

UNITED STATES
 
New York City

November 16

November 17

November 19

Chicago, IL

November 18

Denver, CO

New Haven, CT

November 17

Baltimore, MD

November 17

Philadelphia, PA

November 17

Ann Arbor, MI

November 17

Washington, DC

November 17

November 19

Palm Beach, FL

November 19

Atlanta, GA

November 17

Memphis, TN

November 17

Dallas, TX

November 19

San Antonio, TX

Los Angeles, CA

November 17

San Francisco, CA

November 17

Berkeley, CA

November 16

San Jose, CA

November 19

San Diego, CA

November 19

Sacramento, CA

November 18

LATIN AMERICA
 
Havana, Cuba

November 18

Mexico City

November 16

San Jose, Costa Rica

November 19

São Paulo, Brazil

November 17

Bolivia

Cochabamba, November 16

La Paz, November 16

ASIA
 
Sana'a, Yemen

November 18

Aqaba, Jordan

November 17

Rabat, Morocco

November 16

Manama, Bahrain

November 18

Lahore, Pakistan

November 19

Seoul, Korea

November 17

Tokyo, Japan

November 17

November 19

OCEANIA
 
Australia

Melbourne, November 19

Sydney, November 19


Perth, November 19

New Zealand

Dunedin, November 18

Auckland, November 19

EUROPE
 
England

London, November 17

London, November 18

Corby, November 18

Dorchester, November 18

Liverpool, November 18

Margate, November 18

Newcastle, November 18

Nottingham, November 18

Oxford, November 18

Rochester, November 18

Sheffield, November 18

Truro, November 18

Scotland

Edinburgh, November 17

Glasgow, November 18

Abergavenny, Wales

November 18

Ireland

Dublin, November 18

November 18

Reykjavik, Iceland

November 18

Helsinki, Finland

November 19

Lausanne, Switzerland

November 19

Netherlands 

Rotterdam, November 16

Amsterdam, November 17

Rotterdam, November 19

Germany

Berlin, November 19

Düsseldorf, November 19

France

France's labour central estimates 60,000 people gathered in Paris, November 18, with an additional 40,000 assembling in dozens of other towns across the country. Despite torrential rain, the protesters marched through central Paris, holding banners reading, Halt the Massacre in Gaza and West Bank, Immediate Ceasefire. "France must immediately call for a ceasefire so that the guns go silent," said CGT union secretary general, Sophie Binet, one of several union leaders who addressed the rally.

Paris, November 18

Toulouse, November 18

Lisbon, Portugal

November 18

Spain

Madrid, November 18

Barcelona, November 18

Madrid, November 19

Alcorcón, November 19

Athens, Greece

November 17

(Photos: TML, PYM, S. Hersh, WBW, Palestine House Toronto, A. Latif, Chubby Roots, A. Pettman, FTT-np, M. Golden, agimediata, Answer, USMOVIC, uspcn, Solidarity Ervin, J. Mayall, @baltbeat, whatcandicesays, B. Alverez, MXGMN, drgloryjjjjj, PSL, MLK50 Memphis, @hannahhh, movement photographer, lultoto, @berkeleyside, M. Dacher, joeorephoto, @machine_wisdom, R.M. Ojeda, M. Golden, activistcamera, A. Redes, F. Edwards, Shehab, @Free_Bird, H. Naqvi, Peoples Assembly, A. Naim, N. Sasaki, @akaWACA, Solo Monk, Tass, @punisheddiacomo, E. Starshine, L. Lew, @5Pillarsuk, SW, AltymcaltaIt, T Law Journo, pcdsbs, J. Kopite, PSC, thegreen_raven, @kareem79, kentpbp, SLF Palestine, G. Martin, @PeruginiNic, @ahlam8814, @CitizenKev61, R. Muhareb, Mary Lou McDonald, eldarwish90, @brandonancbrowne, C. Mullaly, @Memonoptra, @Palcif48, @Murphylsr, Zaid Revolution, @SpriterMonitor, Rijnmond, Doorbraakeu, News Alaine, act4pal5, A. pertus, Online Pal, Collectif PV, Dorion Mffe, Esquerda, Montecruzphoto, @PeMjia, Mas Alcoron, disorderisti)

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This article was published in

Volume 53 Number 24 - November 2023

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53244.HTM

Website:  www.cpcml.ca   Email:  editor@cpcml.ca