No. 24

April 3, 2024

Photo Review -- March 18 to 31

Worldwide Actions Continue to Build Support for Palestinians Against Zionist Genocidal Assaults and Starvation

CANADA

National Capital Region

Close to 1,000 people from the National Capital Region converged in Ottawa on March 24, for the 24th consecutive weekend, to stop the genocide in Gaza, demand an immediate ceasefire and for an arms embargo on Israel. At the Human Rights Monument before the march, a young speaker denounced the most recent barbarous attacks against Al -Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, as well as Israeli forces' cowardly retaliation to the resistance efforts by intensified bombing of hospitals and residential complexes in Khan Yunis and Rafah.

"We do not even have time to process or grieve one vile crime committed by the Occupation before another is committed," he said. He demanded massive amounts of aid be delivered to Rafah, and denounced the on-going siege. He said Canada and its allies bear full responsibility for the genocide and potential famine.

He spoke about the March 18 debate in the House of Commons on a non-binding motion on Palestine. What was passed was a motion that had been rendered useless by amendments proposed by Liberal Cabinet Ministers, and agreed to by the NDP, which removed the call for an arms embargo and any recognition of Palestine. The speaker pointed out that nonetheless, the movement must continue to "not only demand that the Canadian State stop selling weapons to the Zionist State, we also demand that it stop purchasing from the Zionist State, because this is how they fund the genocide of our people."

He pointed out that the motion and the vote on it only came about because of the consistent pressure by the people through five months of mobilization, a testament to the power that people hold by speaking out and uniting in action for their just demands.

The demonstration went through the Byward Market where it stopped at the U.S. Embassy where organizers pointed out the criminal military and political support of the Zionists by U.S. imperialism. The U.S. is guilty of genocide and people are demanding accountability. Having just learned that members of the Palestinian community had lost family members in the recent genocidal attacks, participants paid their respects in a moment of silence. A member of the Palestinian Youth Movement pointed out that the best way to pay tribute to those killed by Israel is to keep on speaking out, and uniting in action without let-up, for a free Palestine!

Over 1,000 people marched for Palestine on March 30 in Ottawa, on the occasion of Palestine Land Day. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement addressed the significance of this day for the Palestinian people:

"On this Palestinian Land Day, we remember March 30, 1976, a time when the Zionist entity had seized thousands of acres of Palestinian Land, particularly in the region of Al Jaleel, as part of a broader plan to expropriate several Palestinian villages. The Zionist entity of Israel aimed to ethnically cleanse these villages, to make way for Jewish only settlements.

"Responding to these threats in 1976, Palestinians organized themselves into a cohesive front -- Palestinians from the heroic hills of Al Jaleel to the besieged streets of Gaza, to those in exile in the diaspora, united against an agenda that sought not only to seize our territory, but to erase our very existence. This Land Day also coincides with the sixth anniversary of the Great March of Return, a mobilization which saw thousands of Palestinians from Gaza courageously marching towards the colonial fence that has turned Gaza into an open-air prison. Their demand was simple yet profound: the right to return to their homes and the lands from which they were forcibly expelled. Entire families, from the elderly to the young, marched in protest, carrying the keys from the homes from which they were expelled. Despite the peaceful nature of this march, the response from the Israeli occupation forces was one of brutal violence, leading to the death of over 230 Palestinians and the injury of more than 36,000.

"And now, as we witness a historic act of decolonization, as we saw Palestinians of Gaza break through the colonial fence and stand in brave defiance against their imprisonment, we are once again witness to the depraved violence of the Zionist colonial project. This year, Land Day carries even greater significance and determination for the Palestinian cause as over a million Palestinians in Gaza face further displacement to Rafah, with many others confronting famine and starvation at the hands of the Israeli regime.

"Despite the circumstances, Palestinians in Gaza steadfastly refuse to abandon their land, holding fast to the legacy passed down by their ancestors. Land Day is more than remembrance. It is a reaffirmation of our inalienable right to our land, our heritage and our identity. It is a reminder that our struggle is rooted in the very soil of Palestine, in every olive tree uprooted, in very home demolished and in every life murdered in the struggle for liberation. As we stand here today, let us remember that land is life itself. Our connection to the land is not just spiritual. It is the essence of our identity and of our existence. Let us reaffirm that the right of return for all Palestinian refugees is non-negotiable. Settler colonization, with its infrastructure of genocidal violence, cannot and will not extinguish our connection to our homeland. Today, as we chant for our land and liberation, we recommit ourselves to the struggle for the full liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea!"

March 30

Nova Scotia

Halifax

March 23

On March 30, Haligonians rallied at the Garrison Grounds to show their support for the people of Palestine who continue to suffer under U.S./Israeli occupation and genocide in spite of the March 25 UN Security Council Resolution demanding a ceasefire and free flow of aid into occupied Palestine. Canada included, requiring all to join in stopping the criminal activities of Israel, which continue with impunity.

During the march from the Garrison Grounds to Peace and Friendship Park, Asif Rashid spoke on behalf of Lawyers for Palestine explaining that the UN Security Council is a flawed institution and that its resolution is weak and flawed but, nevertheless it is a resolution demanding a ceasefire at least for the remainder of the sacred month of Ramadan which is almost over.

Rashid urged countries to do more to stop the genocide and pointed to other measures like stopping the arms trade with Israel which Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, mentioned in her latest report Anatomy of a Genocide.

March 30

Pop-up picket, March 30

New Brunswick

Saint John

March 23

Quebec

Rimouski

March 23

March 31

Montreal

On March 23 in Montreal, close to 3,000 people braved the snow and the cold to show their determined support for the people of Gaza and all of Palestine, at the call of the Coalition du Québec URGENCE Palestine. The call for the mobilization demanded an immediate ceasefire and the free circulation of humanitarian aid throughout all of Gaza; the end of Canadian military exports, both direct and indirect, to Israel; and the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The call was supported by 228 organizations and 150 public figures in Quebec. Demonstrations also took place in Sherbrooke, Quebec City and Rimouski on the same day.

During the rally, speakers from various organizations, including trade unions, Indigenous activists, defenders of human rights, doctors, artists, Palestinian youth and political representatives, among others, elaborated their experience and various aspects of the call.

Many have expressed vigorous opposition to the Quebec government opening an office in Israel at this time, pointing out that it primarily serves high-tech companies, which are an integral part of the Zionist genocide that is being committed against the Palestinian people.

Across Montreal, neighbourhood organizations have formed to build support for Palestine at the local level. Two young women representing such organizations spoke eloquently about why and how they are defending the struggle of the Palestinian people. One referred to the unimaginable horrors of the past six months of Zionist aggression in Gaza that compelled them to action. The other explained that many of their neighbourhoods are represented by Members of Parliament or Cabinet ministers, who not only do nothing, but ignore their attempts to communicate. She pointed out that they are undaunted and have carried out activities for the past six months, including door-to-door work, workshops, gatherings, petitioning, letter-writing campaigns and phone campaigns to MPs and ministers, and organizing demonstrations in their neighbourhoods. She called on participants to find the banner from their neighbourhood group at the action, and to join with them or to join with friends and neighbours to form such a committee if it doesn't already exist in their neighbourhood.

Speaker after speaker pointed out that the struggle of the Palestinian people is the struggle of all humanity -- the struggle against injustice and oppression, foreign occupation and imperialism.

After the speeches, the crowd then marched through the city from Dorchester Square to the Centre Guy-Favreau, the home of many Canadian government offices. Along the way, they vigorously denounced the siege on Gaza, the occupation of Palestine, the opening of the Quebec government office in Israel, the complicity of the Quebec and Canadian governments and their representatives in the genocide being committed. They chanted their solidarity with the people of Palestine and their support for the Palestinian resistance against the colonialist occupation of their homeland. As with every demonstration that has taken place since the beginning of October, they were met with enthusiastic support from passersby.

At the end of the march, other speakers pointed out the extent of the organized opposition across Quebec to the Zionist genocide against the Palestinian people, and the urgency for the Quebec and Canadian governments to represent the people and put an end to their complicity in these war crimes, along with their determination to support the struggle of the Palestinian people until they can return to their homes in a free Palestine.

March 23

March 24

Ontario

Toronto

March 30

Barrie

March 23

Sudbury

March 23

March 30

Windsor

On March 20 the University of Windsor Palestinian Solidarity Group (PSG) led a student walkout and distributed leaflets at the CAW Student Centre. The aim was to inform their peers about conditions on the 164th day of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, and encourage those who are fulltime undergrads to attend the March 26 annual general meeting of the University of Windsor Students' Alliance (UWSA) and vote in support of a motion calling on it to participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Students eventually did vote overwhelmingly in favour of the motion at the AGM. It calls on the UWSA to ensure it does not support or profit from companies that support or profit from Israeli apartheid or operate on occupied Palestinian lands. It also commits the UWSA to urging the University to divest academically and financially from Israel and to recognize anti-Palestinian racism as a class of discrimination.

At the weekly rally organized by Windsor4Palestine on March 31, this and another positive development in the work to mobilize support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and against institutional anti-Palestinian racism in the education sector were received with enthusiasm by those in attendance. First, a representative of the PSG announced to cheers and applause the victory achieved in getting the BDS motion passed. She explained that it requires the student union to stop all dealings with banks that are big contributors to the weapons industry, showing students do not want their tuition and mandatory fees used to support the murdering of Palestinian children and others. Getting the motion adopted was a first step, she said. The PSG and other student groups intend to continue pressing for stronger BDS measures to be adopted both at the university and elsewhere.

A second speaker informed about an open letter sent to the Ontario premier and Ontario Ministry of Education, all school boards and education unions by educators from around the province. Some demands raised in the letter include calls for: the development of strategies, legislation, policy and programs to combat anti-Palestinian racism in all school boards in Ontario, along with accountability and measureable tools for their implementation; educational resources and training at all levels related to Palestinian human rights, and identifying and naming anti-Palestinian racism; allocation of funds for not-for-profit community organizations to deliver presentations related to Palestinian culture and heritage in public schools; a public affirmation that students and staff in Ontario will not be punished for supporting Palestinian human rights, criticizing the state of Israel and/or standing in solidarity with Palestinians and their right to freedom and peace on their ancestral homelands; an end to collaboration with groups that perpetuate anti-Palestinian racism, harass students and staff and target progressive Jewish voices, or push for curbs on civil liberties; develop collaboration with organizations that teach Jewish identity that is not inherently linked to Israel and recognize diversity within Jewish populations; acknowledge the harm done to Palestinian families by the erasure of Palestinian suffering in communications to parents and caregivers, and the continued silence of the Ontario government during what the United Nations calls the "unparalleled and unprecedented" killing of civilians, leading Gaza to become "a graveyard for children."

The speaker encouraged active and retired educators to sign the letter and for others to help spread the word to people who work in education by passing the letter around on social media. It can be signed either in one's own name, or anonymously, given the fact that there are Zionist organizations targeting educators who speak out, to try to get them censored or removed from their positions. Zionist organizations are also using holocaust education in the schools, the speaker said, to try to miseducate the youth and educators so as to silence criticism of Israel. All of this has spurred teachers and education workers to speak out to demand changes in Ontario's K-12 education system to ensure that criticism of Israel is not presented as anti-semitism. The full letter, initiated by Labour 4 Palestine: Education Workers, can be seen here.

March 24

March 31

Alberta

Edmonton

On March 23 at the Canada Palestine Cultural Association (CPCA) Edmonton's Annual Women's Iftar, the organization announced the start of phase five of the Threads of Diaspora project "Stitching for Gaza." CPCA Edmonton's tatreez team has created special designs telling stories of the martyred people in Gaza. Each piece tells a story.

March 23, Iftar dinner

March 24

March 30

Calgary

March 24

March 30

British Columbia

On March 21, hundreds of students from seven universities across BC disrupted business as usual, demanding immediate action to defend Palestine and stop Israel's genocide. Students from UBC Okanagan, Capilano University, Simon Fraser University, UBC Vancouver, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, the University of Victoria and Vancouver Island University in collaboration with the Palestinian Youth Movement, took part in this historic province-wide campaign to escalate their calls for BC universities to immediately boycott and divest from Israel. In a post on Instagram, they stated:

"We reject the normalization of genocide funded by our tuition dollars, from investments in Lockheed Martin to RBC to Scotiabank. We refuse to let our universities remain complicit in this ongoing genocide and apartheid.

"We refuse to ignore the destruction of all 37 of Gaza's universities by the IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces], along with the slaughter of countless professors, scholars, and students. These attacks strategically aim at erasing the rich accomplishments and contributions of Palestinian thought and knowledge, a form of epistemicide.

"Despite facing increased policing and continued suppression of Palestinian solidarity, we remain steadfast. No amount of institutional intimidation will deter us from advocating for justice. We will continue to mobilize and escalate our actions until our demands are met!

"END UNIVERSITY COMPLICITY! NO MORE TUITION DOLLARS FOR GENOCIDE! DIVEST NOW!"

The students issued the following demands:

"1. A full divestment of all companies complicit in the Israeli genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestine.

"2. Cutting all ties with Israeli universities, including ending academic partnerships and removing any international student programs to and from Israel.

"3. Release a public statement condemning Israel's clear violation of international human rights. This includes calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege on Gaza, as well as the removal of illegal Zionist settlements, IOF military occupation, and apartheid.

4. Publicly support Palestinian academics and cultural institutions directly without requiring an Israeli counterpart.

"5. Denouncing Israel's clear epistemicide of the Palestinian culture and knowledge system."

Vancouver

Emily Carr University students participate in province-wide actions, March 21

Simon Fraser University students participate in province-wide actions, March 21

March 23

32,000 Palestinian flags at Devonian Harbour Park, for Palestinian Land Day, March 30

Coquitlam

March 24

Victoria

University of Victoria students participate in province-wide actions, March 21

UNITED STATES

Boston, MA

March 30

Washington, DC

March 30

New York City

March 22

March 30

Rochester, NY

March 23

Chicago, IL

March 21

Minneapolis, MN

March 30

Dallas, TX

March 21

Houston, TX

March 30

San Francisco, CA

On March 29, more than 800 people demonstrated at a San Francisco port, where the USNS Harvey Milk was docked before reportedly heading to Gaza with weapons and military equipment. Several also chained themselves to the gangway to block the ship from leaving. This follows similar actions at the San Francisco and Oakland ports to stop arms shipments to Israel. The protesters chanted their support for Palestine and denounced the U.S./Israeli genocide.

The demonstrators had earlier marched in the streets in San Francisco, voicing their strong opposition to Biden's backing and funding of the Zionists. Holding signs and banners in support of Palestinians, people chanted Free, Free Palestine, Palestine Will Live Forever and Ceasefire Now! Organizers condemned the continued U.S. support for Israel including supplying 2,000 pound bombs designed to destroy everyone living in an entire city block. As a result of the action, pro-Zionist former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who was scheduled to hold an event on the ship, was forced to cancel it.

Blocking ship headed to Israel, March 30

Los Angeles, CA

March 20

Ventura, CA

March 30

EUROPE

England

London

March 30

On March 20, hundreds of trade unionists, mobilized by Workers for a Free Palestine, blockaded major arms factories in England and Scotland that manufacture weapons supplied to Israel. Organizers stated, "We will not stand by as weapons made in Britain are used to commit genocide!" They added:

"GE Aviation Systems in Cheltenham and Leonardo UK in Edinburgh have been shut down. Both these sites produce components for the F-35 stealth combat aircraft currently being used by Israeli forces in its bombardment of Gaza.

"1.5 million people are currently trapped in Rafah, facing mass hunger and unbearable living conditions. In the midst of this catastrophic threat to life, Israel is preparing for a ground offensive.

"We have a duty to do all we can to disrupt Israel's war machine. We are calling for an arms embargo and an end to the British government's complicity in Israel's war crimes!"