No. 28
December 2023
Photo Review, December 1 to 7
Worldwide Actions for Palestine and Rejection of Israeli Genocide and Impunity Continue
Montreal, December 7
• Montreal
Protests Foreign Minister's
Complicity
with Israeli Crimes in Gaza
• World Steps
Up Demand to Stop Israeli
Genocide
and End Impunity
Photo Review December 1 to 7
Montreal Protests Foreign Minister's Complicity with Israeli Crimes in Gaza
The evening of December 7, hundreds of people gathered in front of Montreal City Hall to demand that the Mayor and Montreal city council take a principled stand to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Many speakers spoke of the importance of the city taking such a stand in the face of the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza.
Also
on everyone's mind is B'nai B'rith's push that the city adopt a
motion
to make the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's
(IHRA)
working definition of anti-Semitism the city's official policy.
This
would open the door to any criticism of the state of Israel
being
considered
"anti-Semitic." Montreal city council rejected a similar motion
on
January 27, 2020.[1] Ensemble Montréal, the official
opposition at city
council, could present such a motion as early as next week.
At the call of the organizers, the crowd later took to the streets chanting many slogans, among them We are All Palestinians! They moved a few blocks to the Place d'Armes Hotel where the Liberal Party of Canada was holding a fundraiser dinner for Mélanie Joly, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The crowd, with their placards and banners, remained for many hours at the front and back entrances of the hotel. They heard speeches from the organizers as well as from individuals who felt the importance of speaking out against what many international human rights organizations and governments have described as a genocide being committed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli government.
Among them was a Jewish man who told the crowd: "This evening is the first night of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that has been manipulated for decades by the Zionist project to justify colonial violence." The crowd answered, Shame! He continued, "The story of Hanukkah follows a Jewish battle against an occupying empire and ends with a miracle of light, a day's worth of oil lasting for eight days to keep the temple light burning. Like many Jews, I grew up celebrating this battle and celebrating the state of Israel as the ultimate embodiment of the Jewish struggle against oppression." He said this is false as Israel is "an embodiment of empire." He added that he cannot allow his history or his spiritual traditions to be twisted into a celebration of imperial violence.
"And so, on this first night of Hanukkah, I honour my history and my faith by joining other Jews to say, Not in Our Name! and to demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to apartheid occupation, and a free Palestine," in the face of the Trudeau government's unwavering support for Israel's violence.
He
concluded: "I'll remember the feeling of being here with all of
you,
joining our hearts and our voices as our movement grows larger
and
stronger. I'll take strength from the Hanukkah story of the
light that
kept burning to keep showing up for this movement, even as the
days get
cold and the
days get short. And, I will celebrate the miracle that is this
growing
movement of people here and around the world coming together in
the
name of justice and freedom and peace. Free Palestine!
Free, Free Palestine!" The crowd responded with
loud cheers and Free Palestine!
Free, Free Palestine!, adding No Justice, No
Peace!
A speaker from the Palestinian Youth Movement followed, saying. "That is right. We are a movement. We are a movement that stands for freedom and justice. And whether you have been with us for years, or this is your first time coming out, you are now part of the movement. We are urging you to keep getting organized. We are here with the Palestinian Youth Movement in Montreal, where we have been mobilizing thousands of people to come out to the streets in Montreal, thousands of people to come out across North America, Britain and Italy. And we do this because we know that when we are organized, we can confront the enemy."
Another youth added, "It is time to recognize that silence is not an option when lives are affected, when rights are not allowed. Our diversity as a Canadian people forces us to be defenders of justice and human dignity, and that it is threatened. We must not forget that behind each face, a story is hidden and an unbreakable resilience. It is our quest for justice and the faith that transcends barriers and strengthens our links.
"We continue to gather together to share our experiences and to build bridges beyond differences. We celebrate our unity by defending the dignity of each Palestinian. Let's remind ourselves that each voice counts, each gesture of solidarity contributes to our collective quest for justice. As Palestinians say, we are a force that cannot be ignored. Thank you all for your continuous engagement in this common cause," to which the crowd answered with more slogans, including Mélanie, Your Silence Has Led to 15,000 Deaths!
Note
1. See "Opposition to Spurious Definition of Anti-Semitism : Zionist Definition of Anti-Semitism Must Not Pass!," Diane Johnston, TML Monthly, April 4, 2021.
(Quotations translated from original French by TML. Photos: TML.)
World Steps Up Demand to Stop Israeli Genocide and End Impunity
CANADA
Halifax
December 2
December
3
Montreal
More than 3,500 people gathered again on December 2, to demand an end to the criminal and murderous occupation of Palestine by the Zionist state of Israel. The numerous speeches unequivocally affirmed that the responsibility of the Canadian government to put an end to the massacre in Gaza is to demand a ceasefire as well as to stop supporting and financing the genocide, and to demand that 'Israel be held accountable for its crimes. The Nakba of 1948 killed 15,000 people and forced 750,000 into exile. Today, there are already 21,000 deaths and 1.5 million displaced people. There must be a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege of Gaza, the release of all Palestinian prisoners and an end to the occupation, and there can be no peace as long as there is occupation, protesters said. The Palestinians will never abandon their aspirations and demands and the people of the world are with them, they are all Palestinians.
December 2
Ottawa
December
2
Toronto
December
2
Guelph
December 2
Windsor
December 3
Winnipeg
December
2
Calgary
December 3
December
3
Kelowna
December 2
Vancouver
December 2
UNITED
STATES
Washington,
DC
December 2
Chicago, IL
December
2
New York City
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 6
Boston, MA
December 2
Philadelphia, PA
Atlanta, GA
December 3
San Antonio, TX
December
2
Denver, CO
December
3
Los Angeles, CA
December 2
San Francisco, CA
December 2
Seattle, WA
December
2
LATIN
AMERICA
Lima,
Peru
December
2
ASIA
Amman,
Jordan
December 1
Sana'a, Yemen
December 1
West
Sumatra, Indonesia
December 3
AFRICA
South Africa
Johannesburg
December 3
Pretoria
December 5
OCEANIA
Australia
Melbourne
December
3
Perth
December 3
Logan
December 3
Christchurch, New Zealand
December 2
EUROPE
England
London
December 2
December 7
Bristol
December 7
Manchester
December 2
December 7
Margate
December 2
Canterbury
December 2
Coventry
December 2
Leamington
December
2
Leeds
December 2
Richmond
December
2
Sheffield
December 2
Edinburgh, Scotland
December 2
Glasgow
December 7
Dublin, Ireland
December 2
Berlin, Germany
December 2
Brussels, Belgium
December 4
December 5
December 7
Netherlands
December 7
France
Paris
December
2
Toulouse
December 2
Madrid, Spain
December 2
Cagliari, Italy
December 2
(Photos: TML, J. Abualhaj, Free Palestine Halifax, Palestin Monitor, @boundcast, @IZ_Palestine, @Aaaadaam, Palestine House, @showupguelph, L.P. Cameron, JFP Calgary, CJPME, MAWO, @Hiruy4HoCo, Palestine Monitor, @BikeSlutty, USPCN, @IlliniJen, @new24ws, @Sprinter00001, @Aktualite_fr, @Act4pal1, Shensawee, @prismxp, @atlanta_press, ajd_theory, JVP, @jeremotographs, @ashmouny, @SamlamLax, BDS Peru, LAI Junaidi, M. Hamoud, P. Handayami, MattCook4good, @timand2037, @salaamedia, @KamagaloVegas, K. W. Cliffe, @mjacoronas, @bbakkubiii, U. John, @niknorma, PSC Updates, @VinayUteriya11, Aps00111, Shadia Ed, SW, Jerry Hicks Unite, @HaidrGhloom, mcrSWP, @Arbeit_fish, @MoAfshary, T. Patel, M. Awaad, F. Ling, E. Mitsos, Leeds SSP, @qawemisrael, @shefjim, C. McCail, H. Brown, K. Saba, @Kilsally, @Ocionnaith, A. Flood, @morgenpost, @AbeerKhshiboon, N. Stewart, @LaylainBristol, P. Cieran, V. Marlou, Tieschellekens, @Sloxchin, D. Saliha, J. Cohen, M. Afri, @LePoingLeveTis, @gzdraw, @potere_alpopolo)
(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca