Photo Review

August Actions Mark 10 Months of Steadfast
and Broadening Support for Palestinian People
and Their Resistance

National rally and march, Parliament Hill, August 10, 2024

CANADA

National Capital Region

A national “300+ Days of Rage” rally on Parliament Hill and march through the streets of Ottawa was organized on August 10. Contingents came from Montreal, Toronto, London, Windsor and elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec by bus and car to participate, including a car caravan that travelled from southern Ontario. The main demands of the actions were for an immediate complete embargo on arms being shipped to Israel, and that the Canadian government take a stand for an immediate ceasefire and end to the genocide. The march that followed the rally on Parliament Hill included stops outside the Israeli and U.S. embassies.

National march for Palestine, August 10

Hundreds of people once again gathered at the Human Rights Monument on August 18, as Israeli violence increases in the West Bank and brutal massacres and torture by the Israeli forces continue in Gaza in the midst of "ceasefire talks" promoted by the U.S., whose renewed military support for Israel exposes the fraud of its claim to be working for a ceasefire.

Before the march, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement pointed out: "We gather here today in profound sorrow and unyielding solidarity. Today marks 316 days of genocide that defies comprehension, 45 weeks of unjustified horror that we continue to protest against. The scale of brutality unleashed against our brothers and sisters in Gaza, in Palestine, is staggering and we must confront it with the full weight of our collective conscience.... Let us not forget the tragic story of Dr. Jumann Arfa, a dedicated physician in Gaza, who was killed along with her mother and her four-day old twins while her husband was gone to obtain the twins' birth certificates, only to return to the devastating site of his family gone.... We protest to honour the memory of those we have lost, to fight for the living and to demand liberation for all Palestinians.... Our presence is testament to our unwavering commitment to our cause. Amid this darkness, we find our strength and resilience. We are a people who have endured the unendurable, who have survived the unspeakable. Our spirit remains unbroken, our resolve unwavering."

She went on to condemn the role of the U.S. and Canada in this genocide. "These nations and their unwavering support for the Zionist entity bear responsibility for the bloodshed. Their silence is deafening, their inaction, a betrayal of the principles of justice and human rights they claim to uphold.... Let us remember, all empires fall. This Zionist entity and those who support it will face the judgment of history. They will be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. We call upon the world to stand with us in our time of need. We call upon every individual of conscience to raise their voice against this genocide. We call upon the international community to take decisive action to end this carnage. The Palestinian people will not be erased. We will fight for our freedom, our dignity, our right to exist and we will prevail!"

A psychotherapist and the well-known physician Dr. Yipeng Ge both spoke out against recent statements by the CEOs of two Ottawa hospitals and by the mayor of Ottawa against the organizers of Capital Pride. The latter accused Capital Pride of being "anti-Israel" following a Capital Pride August 6 statement in solidarity with Palestine, which said, in part:

"To breathe life into our sincere hope for an end to this war and justice for all its victims, we commit to the following actions:

- Integrating resources such as the Palestinian BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] National Committee's boycott list in our existing review process of current and future sponsorship agreements;

- Recognizing the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in opening remarks at 2024 Capital Pride Festival Signature Events; and

- Working with all our partners, both public and private, to push for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, the immediate release of all hostages, increased access to humanitarian aid, and more accessible pathways for refugees."

Dr. Ge, who has consistently spoken out against the genocide in Gaza and stood his ground against the health establishment when he was suspended from his medical residency at the University of Ottawa last December, said, among other things: "Hospital CEOs in Ottawa have expressed their disagreement with the solidarity expressed by Capital Pride with Palestine and have announced that they will not attend the annual march. The bombing of hospitals, the torturing and killing of Palestinian health care workers, the massacring of thousands of children did not move these hospital institutions. They were silent for ten months of genocide, extermination, ethnic cleansing, of massacre upon massacre. But now that Capital Pride has decided to abide by a BDS list, they have decided to condemn it ...."

Participants, including families with young children, then marched up Rideau Street where they once again were greeted by drivers honking their horns and passers-by expressing their support in various ways, with some joining the demonstration as it marched through the Byward Market.

August 18

August 29

Quebec

Montreal

August 1

August 3

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Montreal on August 17 for the 45th weekly rally since October 2023, in support of the Palestinian people's right to resist the illegal occupation and crimes committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza strip and the West Bank.

As one of the spokespersons of the Palestinian Youth Movement said to the crowd: "Why are we here after 300 days of this genocide? We refuse to be complicit in the killing and the murder of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Do we accept what is happening in Gaza right now? No! We choose to come out to the streets every single week and sometimes every single day because our conscience is clear. We believe that the people of Palestine deserve to live in dignity. They deserve to live as a free people, reclaiming their own lives that was taken away from them 100 years ago. [...]"

"There are talks of negotiations for a ceasefire agreement and we know that the Israelis are just stalling. They are using these negotiations to stall. They are not serious about a real ceasefire, a real peace. [...] They think that they can get away with this. But the Palestinian resistance will never capitulate. In the face of one of the most powerful armies in the region, backed by one of the most powerful states in the world, the U.S., they are fearless. [...] And we can't forget the complicity of the Canadian government. We are here because we believe that liberation will come. We believe in our resistance and we will continue to fight."

The marchers then took to the streets moving along René-Lévesque boulevard with their banners, flags and placards, shouting slogans such as One, We Are the People, Two, We Won't be Silenced, Three, Stop the Bombing, Now, Now, Now!; In Our Millions, in Our Billions, We Are All Palestinians!; Not a Conflict, Not a War, Occupation No More!; Trudeau, Legault, Joly, You Can't Hide, We Charge You With Genocide! and more. As they passed in front of a park where a newlywed couple was having their pictures taken with their guests, the groom took a Palestinian flag from a demonstrator and proudly held it high and waved it to the demonstration. The march ended in front of the U.S. consulate where more slogans and chants carried on for almost half an hour.

August 17

August 24

Hatley, Eastern Townships

On August 31 a mausoleum was erected at 3115 chemin de Capelton, at the entrance to North Hatley in Quebec's Eastern Townships, in honour of the 400 athletes, coaches and other Palestinian sportspeople who have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The mausoleum remained open until September 2.

Organized on the initiative of Solidarité Sherbrooke-Gaza en Palestine, the event gave many people in the area the opportunity to write on the mausoleum's pillars a word, a thought or the names of the sportspeople who have been injured or lost their lives since the start of Israel's genocidal assault. The mausoleum, adorned with Palestinian flags, is the fruit of almost 300 hours' work by a team of volunteers and the designer, and was appreciated by all.

People also laid flowers, among which were those donated by the Marxist-Leninist Party of Quebec (PMLQ). The message on the card with the PMLQ flowers was: “Your martyrs are our martyrs. We are all Palestinians. One humanity, one struggle. With all our hearts, Jean Bédard of the PMLQ.”

August 31

Ontario

Toronto

Many hundreds of determined protesters gathered in front of Union Station in Toronto on August 18 to shut down the downtown to sharply emphasize that the Trudeau Liberal government's support of the genocide against the Palestinian people must be condemned and stopped immediately.

The demonstrators also condemned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his U.S. backers for using every excuse to sabotage any ceasefire agreement so that they can continue their destruction and crimes against the Palestinians and all of humanity. Chanting slogans and waving their flags and banners, the protesters demanded action.

The demonstration split in two so that each half could block a major access to the busy Gardiner Expressway. The marchers made their voices heard for over three hours.

August 18

Mississauga

August 24

Sudbury

August 10

August 17

Windsor

On August 8, community members held a militant demonstration outside the Giovanni Caboto Club where the Jewish National Fund (JNF) was holding its 2024 Windsor Negev Dinner "to support Israel." The keynote speaker at the Zionist fundraiser was former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper who for years has performed the same function at Negev Dinners across the country. Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens also attended the dinner, posing proudly for photos with Harper and national JNF leaders.

Among the community members demonstrating outside the event were people of Palestinian descent whose family members have been killed, wounded and displaced by Israel's war of annihilation in Gaza and other parts of occupied Palestine. That very day the Israeli occupation forces massacred at least 32 civilians when it bombed homes and schools housing displaced persons in Gaza.

At the height of the protest action around 200 people lined the sidewalk along Tecumseh Road at Parent Avenue expressing indignation through their banners, signs and chants at the raising of funds in their city, with official Canada's support, for an apartheid state and serial violator of international law that is currently committing genocide with impunity. Cars entering the parking lot of the Caboto Club and exiting it after the event were slowed down by groups of protesters crossing the street in front of them whenever the traffic lights gave pedestrians the right of way. For the duration of the action, the demand of participants, in particular the youth who called it, rang out loud and clear for a liberated Palestine. The protest and chanting went on for six hours until the last dinner guests exited the venue after 10:00 pm.

In statements issued before and after the event, organizers with the University of Windsor Palestinian Solidarity Group provided information about the JNF -- that it was established in 1901 to acquire Palestinian land with the intention of settling Jews on the land and excluding others. After the Nakba of 1948, which the first Negev Dinner honoured, JNF contributed funds for the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians, building of illegal settlements and infrastructure for the Israeli military on their lands. JNF Canada is notorious for building "Canada Park" on the ruins of three Palestinian villages the Israeli military destroyed in 1967 after expelling their residents. All these outrages and more have been committed while the JNF passes itself off as a "charity" and enjoys the benefits of that status from successive Canadian governments -- until it was finally revoked in August this year.

August 8

August 18

Alberta

Calgary

August 4

August 18

Edmonton

The Palestine Pavilion at the annual Heritage Festival August 3 and 4 in Edmonton was a huge success. Large numbers of people came to express their support for Palestine, watch the stunning Dabkeh performances by the Baladna group, listen to musical performances, sample the delicious Palestinian food, and see the displays. The festival grounds were filled with the sentiment expressed by many: We Are All Palestinians!