No. 25

April 13, 2024

Photo Review -- April 1 to 7

Humanity United by Palestinian Resistance
Marks al-Quds Day

Toronto, al-Quds Day, April 6

The week of April 1-7 was marked by the celebration of al-Quds Day. Millions of people participated in al-Quds Day protests around the world to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and their resistance and to denounce Israeli atrocities and aggression against them. Since 1979 al-Quds Day has been celebrated as an international day to express support for Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation. "Quds" or "al-Quds" is the Arabic name for Jerusalem and al-Quds Day is celebrated on the last Friday of Ramadan with actions this year taking place on Friday, April 5 and into the weekend of April 6 to 7.

CANADA

National Capital Region

On April 5, al-Quds Day, demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa to express support for Palestine and denounce Zionist occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people.

April 5

Close to 1,000 people gathered at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa on April 6 to express their support for the full liberation of Palestine, for the Palestinian Resistance and to denounce Canadian and U.S. complicity and support for Zionist occupation and genocide.

A member of the Palestinian Youth Movement spoke of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and how the outcome of the present struggle must be the liberation of the Palestinian people, no matter how long it takes. On the question of peace, he said: "We have been shown what is meant by the word peace when it comes to Palestinians. It is a useless word that is used to mask injustice by devaluing our valiant and resilient people in Palestine. Our enemies believe that we will feed into their lies covered in talk of peace and we refuse to listen to these lies. Our word is not peace, our word is liberation. We cannot have peace while they are occupying our land. What will free us is our honourable and strong Resistance. We have been exercising our legal right. In international law, armed resistance against the occupiers and oppressors is not only a legal right, but a moral obligation. Do not let the death count of our honourable martyrs distract you from one of the biggest wins in our struggle. Israel has never been so threatened by the Palestinian Resistance. Israel has never been so threatened by their neighbouring countries. They murder civilians because they can't catch our Resistance and to show that their power is greater than our Resistance. They attempt to distract the world by killing civilians and they think that the world is not seeing the truth. Slowly but surely, our fight is a fight for liberation. Our existence is resistance!"

A young Anishinaabe activist also said a few words. Among other things, she said: "The past year has been a year when our world wakes up, our mountains shake and our people finally try to break through all of the barriers that have been put in front of us. Protest after protest, march after march, we are still there, fighting for the same thing, side by side. Though Indigenous Peoples all over the world are different, one thing we can all recognize is that the violent settler state causes the genocide of nations which is exactly what is happening to Palestine this very second. Our fight is the same. We want peace, we want our land and we want our families to be safe. Your family is my family, my family is your family. There is no more divide amongst us."

People then marched through downtown Ottawa, stopping at the U.S. Embassy and at the Prime Minister's office, demanding an end to the genocide and a Ceasefire Now!

April 6, 2024

Nova Scotia

Halifax

About 100 people came out on April 6 to shout their support for the long-suffering people of Palestine, in spite of the cold, wet weather.

Participants were unwavering in their support for the just cause of the Palestinian people. Speeches and music accompanied the march from the Garrison grounds at the base of Citadel Hill to Peace and Friendship Park across from the Westin hotel.

On the March they chanted slogans such as: We Will Free Palestine Within Our Lifetime!, Yemen Yemen, Make Us Proud. Turn Another Ship Around!, From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free!, Trudeau, Trudeau You Can't Hide, You Will Be Charged With Genocide!

Speeches were made on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Palestinian Society which organized the event and by representatives of the Mi'kmaq people and Independent Jewish Voices.

April 6

After the rally concluded downtown in Peace and Friendship Park, a number of people joined a picket outside of a branch of the RBC in solidarity with Indigenous land defenders in Canada, against RBC's complicity in violation of Indigenous rights at home and abroad, including investments in arms used in the genocide in Palestine. They called for a boycott of the Royal Bank. The picket was part of country-wide actions and was hosted by Decolonial Solidarity Mi'kma'ki NS.

April 6

Quebec

Quebec City

March 7

Longueuil

April 2

Montreal

Our Existence is Resistance! was the slogan, among others, chanted by the 1,300 people who rallied on Sunday, April 7 in downtown Montreal on the occasion of al-Quds Day which marks the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. Placards and banners reflected that sentiment and the demands to let Palestine live, sanction Israel for its genocide against the people of Gaza and condemn the Canadian government's support for it, such as through the sale of weapons to Israel.

Before speakers addressed the crowd, organizers displayed a portrait of Walid Daqqah, a 62 year-old Palestinian who had died just hours before in an Israeli jail despite calls from human rights organizations to have him released. The state of Israel had refused to release him since his imprisonment in 1986, even though he was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer in December 2022 and previously had leukemia. On April 6, Amnesty International had repeated its call for his release, saying "Since October 7, 2023, Walid Daqqah has been tortured, humiliated, denied family visits and has faced further medical neglect." In December 2023, the Palestinian Prisoners' organization, an advocacy group that keeps a tally of detainees from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and advocates on their behalf, informed that there were around 7,800 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, the highest total in at least 14 years.

Before the march, an imam from the Muslim Community Centre of Montreal addressed the crowd, saying, amongst other things, that "Today marks six months of genocide. Today marks six months of resistance by the brave people of Gaza, those who refuse to surrender to the occupation, ... and demand an end to the last longest occupation in this world, the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Today marks your continuous effort of being in the street without hesitation, to continue raising your voices against tyranny and against genocide.

[...]

"We need to emphasize the true slogan that without justice, there is no peace. We conclude the month of Ramadan by declaring victory will come very soon. This is not only a hope -- because we know that no occupation can last forever, and those oppressed will come out of the rubble to declare victory. The victory of Gaza, of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and all who helped win victory because you were there and you continue to be there for all the oppressed. We will continue fighting all together in Montreal because, just like we are Montreal for Palestine, we are one."

A representative of Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path, also addressed the crowd, saying: "We salute the brave people in Gaza, the workers, the doctors, the journalists, and those who are carrying guns, defending their people and defeating Israel." End the Occupation Now!, Palestine Will Be Free, From the River to the Sea! -- these chants, he said, "are making the Zionists and their allies in Europe, in North America and elsewhere, very nervous. ... They are scared of a liberated Palestine because they know what it means. It means the change of the entire region. The Arab world, the Muslim world will be different. Muslim Asia will be different, the world will change. ...

"The conflict in Palestine is not between Muslims and Jews. It's not a religious conflict, as some are trying to turn it into, because Jews lived in Palestine as part of our people before the Israeli Zionist movement. That's why we appreciate our brothers and sisters in the Jewish community who support our struggle. ... The people of the world have seen what we've been seeing for the past 75 years. Today, the world is actually seeing what Israel is all about. They see the nature of this rotten colonialist system, and that another Palestine is possible. Palestinians will liberate their land. Palestinians will one day bring those Zionists in front of a court of justice. ... October 7 is just one battle in a long journey of the Palestinian people for their eternal victory. ... Let me finish by saying that this struggle of the Palestinian people will win, regardless of who is leading the Palestinian people."

People then began marching and chanting slogans such as It's Not Complicated, Gaza Will Be Liberated!, Trudeau, Legault, You Can't Hide, We Charge You With Genocide!, with cars honking in support and pedestrians taking pictures. The march ended two hours later in front of the Israeli Consulate with more chants and speeches. Organizers called on the participants to return Sunday April 14 for a rally in front of the Israeli Consulate.

April 7

Ontario

Toronto

To mark al-Quds Day, more than 4,000 people participated in a rally and march in Toronto on April 6, joining with thousands of others across Canada and millions around the world in support of the heroic Palestinian people.

The rally began with speeches in front of the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue, expressing Torontonians' steadfast support for the cause of the Palestinian people, condemnation of the ongoing genocide against them waged by the Israeli Zionist regime, and of the role of the U.S., Canadian and other foreign powers in supporting Israel. Following the speeches, the participants moved onto University Avenue and marched north. All along the way, the participants chanted slogans including From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free! From the Sea to the River, Palestine Will Live Forever! This is Not a War, This is Genocide!, Ceasefire Now! Canada Stop Arming Israel! and many others.

The march stopped at Toronto Police Services headquarters to make a statement about the escalating incidents of police attacks on actions supporting the Palestinian people. In particular, they denounced the police seizure of the truck rented by the al-Quds Day organizers and the events of the previous Saturday when police attacked peaceful demonstrators, arresting three people and later threatening to arrest others. The crowd affirmed that they will continue to exercise their right to support the Palestinian people, and affirmed their right to organize and speak out against the U.S.-Israeli genocide against the people of Gaza and the Occupied Lands.

From police headquarters demonstrators marched back to the U.S. Consulate in high spirits, determined to continue the protests until Palestine is free.

April 6

Barrie

April 6

Sudbury

About forty residents of Greater Sudbury participated in an informational picket on April 6 in front of Smith's Markets on Lasalle Blvd. to oppose the sale of Israeli citrus at Smith's and other Sudbury food retailers. The picket was organized by Palestine Solidarity (Sudbury). The picket was warmly welcomed by the people of Sudbury, including shoppers and employees at Smith's.

At the picket Palestine Solidarity (Sudbury) distributed an Open Letter addressed to Smith's management, which said, in part:

"This is to inform you of our concerns about your store selling Israeli produce -- specifically Jaffa/Orri Oranges. Please be aware that by bolstering the Israeli economy, your sale of this product is contributing to the unfolding genocide being perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

"Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their genocidal intent, the defence minister, for example, saying that ‘there would be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel' in Gaza, ‘because Israel is fighting human animals.'"

The Open Letter condemns the resulting destruction and death in Gaza, citing evidence from various sources and points out that "These atrocities are under investigation by the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocide -- an order which Israel has blatantly and criminally ignored."

The letter concludes: "More and more people around the world are refusing to purchase Israeli-made products and are boycotting the stores that sell them. Palestine Solidarity (Sudbury) asks that you join the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, modeled on the BDS campaign which contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa, by stopping your sale of Jaffa/Orri oranges or any other Israeli products in order to end your contribution to the unfolding genocide in Palestine."

April 6

Windsor

April 7

Alberta

Edmonton

April 7

Calgary

More than 400 people rallied and marched in downtown Calgary on April 7 demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to the brutal genocide in Gaza perpetrated by the Zionist state of Israel. On behalf of Justice for Palestinians, Wesam Khaled introduced an Indigenous friend of Palestine, Charlotte YellowHorn McLeod, who spoke about the growing opposition to countries supplying arms to Israel, and the growing number of countries calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza, saying we need to continue to all stand with Palestine.

The Rally Lead then gave an update on the most recent war crimes and the ever-mounting death toll from the Israeli siege on Gaza. He also spoke about the horrific 10-day siege of the Al-Shifa hospital as nothing less than a hell on earth. “Now like countless other medical facilities in Gaza, Al-Shifa has been all but obliterated by the criminal Zionist entity, leaving the people who are living under this genocide and who desperately need medical care without hospitals to provide the needed care," he said. This and the targeted killing of aid workers including a Canadian citizen, Jacob Flickinger, has made the world’s people including Canadians even more determined to keep up their resistance and stand with the just cause of the Palestinian people, said Wesam.

Shadi Abuid spoke on behalf of the Calgary Palestinian Council. He began by recognizing that six months have passed since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught against Gaza. "The one certainty is that the world has changed," he said. "The most obvious change is the Gaza strip. Palestinians have been subjected to a months-long genocidal assault that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most of them women and children, and much of the occupied territory has been systematically razed to the ground by high explosives and bulldozers. Another change is how Israel stands formally and plausibly accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice. As a result, Israel's image, carefully cultivated over the decades as an all-powerful dominant force and a reliable Western proxy in the Middle East capable of defending Western interests in the region has been shattered."

"Yes, this war has been constantly expanding throughout the past six months. The term used to describe this has been controlled escalation. But with Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and now Iran directly involved and most recently an Israeli attack on the sovereign Iranian territory in the Syrian capital of Damascus, I feel we are on the precipice of a wider conflict. It is not only regional players that are involved, but the U.S., the UK, and several other western states, including Canada, are now directly involved in military operations primarily in the Red Sea region, but also in Syria and Iraq. The West is waging a war in the Middle East, not to resolve conflict, but to ensure that Israel can continue to decimate the Gaza Strip and its inhabitants without interruption. The reputational damage is massive, and the Western notions of human rights, democracy, the rule of law, are a thing of the past. Universal values lie buried in the rubble of the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, here and around us and around the world, we have a growing movement.”

At the conclusion of the rally the Rally Lead announced the next week's events to Stand with Palestine and asked participants to vote with a show of hands whether they wanted to march on the sidewalk or march on the streets. The vote was unanimous to march on the streets. The march proceeded, loudly chanting From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free!, End the Occupation Now!, Trudeau, Trudeau You Can’t Hide, We Charge You With Genocide!, Free, Free Palestine! and many other slogans. Marchers passed the U.S. Consulate with raised fists, and passed the Harry Hays Federal Building calling for No More Arms for Israel!, then throughout downtown and back to City Hall.

At the conclusion of the march Calgary Police arrested Rally Lead Wesam Khaled and charged him with leading a march that blocked traffic. Wesam was released later that day and the charges were dropped. These types of disruptive intimidation tactics are an attempt to silence the people, but they will not succeed as with each passing day the Canadian people and the world's people keep speaking out louder and louder demanding an end to this genocide.