A four-day pause of Israel’s latest genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza failed to slow protests on what is typically North America’s busiest shopping weekend of the year.
People from all across the country took to Parliament Hill, saying that they wouldn’t be fooled by the temporary pause, or by the propaganda disseminated by Canadian media.
We know that there have been prohibitions in Canadian media, including places like CBC, on even using the word Palestine in reporting.
There have been memos that have been leaked around of directions to journalists not to interview people talking about ceasefire or to use that language.
There are so many prohibitions on people in just the journalism class being able to speak out.
Desmond Cole, Writer and Journalist
Amid a crackdown on dissent, and faced with the threat of dismissal or suspension from jobs, many continue to voice unwavering support for Palestine.
This is about people in Gaza right now, who are being killed in their homes.
Who are being told to run and then are being bombed in the places that they’re running to.
That’s all that this is about and our country’s ability to call for a ceasefire, whatever; we are getting punished for saying or doing, It’s nothing compared to what the people of Gaza are going through right now.
Desmond Cole, Writer and Journalist
Young organizers of the historic march through Ottawa say that the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is all too confident that the protests will soon subside, thus, international support for Palestinians is more crucial now than ever.
The Canadian officials think that with this humanitarian pause for four days that our demands are going to stop or that, somehow, they have answered our demands, but they have not.
The real question is what will happen after these four days? Gaza will continue to be under siege, as it has been for the past 16 years.
And so the real question now is how many more people must die before our officials call for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the siege on Gaza and an end to this occupation?
Sarah Shamy, Palestinian Youth Movement
Our voices are not being heard across the country. So we are here to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and make sure that the working class and the labour and Trade Union movement are entirely backing the Palestinian national liberation movements.
Moe Alqasem, Labour for Palestine
Demonstrators say no ‘business as usual’ for as long as genocide continues to be carried out with Canadian complicity.
They now have their sights set on Wednesday when people here and around the world will carry out actions for the International Day of solidarity with Palestine.
