Chanting “Free free Palestine” and waving Palestinian flags and placards, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters filled the streets of downtown Montreal on Saturday to condemn the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza.
© Provided by The Gazette A man holds a Palestinian flag at a protest in support of the Palestinian people relating to the conflict with Israel. This was at the consulate of Israel in the Westmount area of Montreal on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
“We are here to raise awareness of what is going on in Gaza, because we don’t think many people know what is happening,” said Mohamed Akkak. “We are Algerians, but we are here in support of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We want the world to act. People are suffering there.”
Protesters gathered outside the office towers at 1 Westmount Square, home to the Israeli consulate, at the corner of Ste-Catherine St. and Wood Ave., near Atwater Ave. at 1 p.m. in a peaceful gathering, under the watch of Montreal police. After an hour at the square, protesters marched down Ste-Catherine St. to congregate at Dorchester Square and listen to speeches.
There were few incidents, with the exception of one individual who smashed a plate glass window at the office tower, and was quickly berated by other protesters, and then arrested by police. Small groups of protesters threw projectiles at police, the Montreal police force reported, but no arrests were made. Police pepper sprayed some protesters who refused to vacate the area at Westmount Square.
Motorcades of protesters honking their horns, waving flags and shouting support snaked through the streets surrounding the demonstration.
Montreal’s rally was one of hundreds held around the world over the last days, including in New York, Barcelona, London, Cape Town and Sydney, as the worst escalation in violence between the two groups since 2014 continued to spiral.
A 12-storey Gaza tower block housing the offices of the U.S.-based Associated Press and Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera as well as other offices and apartments collapsed on Saturday after being struck by Israeli missiles.
The owner of the building had been warned in advance of an impending Israeli missile strike, a Reuters reporter said, and the building had been evacuated. No injuries were reported.
Hamas militants fired barrages of rockets overnight and during the day at Israel.
Gaza’s ruling Hamas group began launching rocket attacks at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Monday in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and following an escalation in tensions over the previous weeks linked in part to the expulsion of Palestinian families from Jerusalem. Gaza militant groups have fired more than 2,000 rockets into Israel, the Israeli military has reported. Israel has responded with hundreds of airstrikes and military fire.
On Friday, Palestinian officials reported more than 139 people had been killed, including 39 children, in Gaza since Monday.
Israel reported seven civilians, including two children, and one soldier, have been killed.
The hostilities have fuelled tension between Israeli Jews and the country’s 21 per cent Arab minority. Violence continued in mixed communities overnight after street fighting and tit-for-tat attacks that prompted Israel’s president to warn of civil war.
“We want to show the world that what is happening in Israel is a war crime,” said a young Montreal demonstrator from Tunisia who gave her name as Rim. “We are here to talk about Israelis who are taking Palestinian homes. The world needs to know, and the world needs to stop it.”
One young couple who were married Saturday morning decided to celebrate their nuptials by protesting for their cause. Patricia Alfaro and Mohamed Jmaiel were wed at 11 a.m. in a virtual ceremony in downtown Montreal, then came to the Westmount Square protest, still attired in wedding dress and suit.
They wanted to do their part “to raise awareness of the conflict,” Alfaro said.
Afterward, they planned to deliver wedding cake to their loved ones who could not be at the service.
Among protesters at Palestinian demo were Patricia Alfaro and Mohamed Jamiel, who were married downtown at 11 am. at a virtual ceremony. “I think we need to do our part to raise awareness of the conflict”. Alfaro said. Afterwards they plan to deliver wedding cake to friends pic.twitter.com/Ky5graSWgH— Rene Bruemmer (@ReneBruemmer) May 15, 2021
Reuters contributed to this report.
rbruemmer@postmedia.com
Related
Israel mounts deadly air attack against Gaza tunnels after decoy ground operation
Israeli airstrikes topple Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices in Gaza as violence escalates
“We are here to raise awareness of what is going on in Gaza, because we don’t think many people know what is happening,” said Mohamed Akkak. “We are Algerians, but we are here in support of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We want the world to act. People are suffering there.”
Protesters gathered outside the office towers at 1 Westmount Square, home to the Israeli consulate, at the corner of Ste-Catherine St. and Wood Ave., near Atwater Ave. at 1 p.m. in a peaceful gathering, under the watch of Montreal police. After an hour at the square, protesters marched down Ste-Catherine St. to congregate at Dorchester Square and listen to speeches.
There were few incidents, with the exception of one individual who smashed a plate glass window at the office tower, and was quickly berated by other protesters, and then arrested by police. Small groups of protesters threw projectiles at police, the Montreal police force reported, but no arrests were made. Police pepper sprayed some protesters who refused to vacate the area at Westmount Square.
Motorcades of protesters honking their horns, waving flags and shouting support snaked through the streets surrounding the demonstration.
Montreal’s rally was one of hundreds held around the world over the last days, including in New York, Barcelona, London, Cape Town and Sydney, as the worst escalation in violence between the two groups since 2014 continued to spiral.
A 12-storey Gaza tower block housing the offices of the U.S.-based Associated Press and Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera as well as other offices and apartments collapsed on Saturday after being struck by Israeli missiles.
The owner of the building had been warned in advance of an impending Israeli missile strike, a Reuters reporter said, and the building had been evacuated. No injuries were reported.
Hamas militants fired barrages of rockets overnight and during the day at Israel.
Gaza’s ruling Hamas group began launching rocket attacks at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Monday in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and following an escalation in tensions over the previous weeks linked in part to the expulsion of Palestinian families from Jerusalem. Gaza militant groups have fired more than 2,000 rockets into Israel, the Israeli military has reported. Israel has responded with hundreds of airstrikes and military fire.
On Friday, Palestinian officials reported more than 139 people had been killed, including 39 children, in Gaza since Monday.
Israel reported seven civilians, including two children, and one soldier, have been killed.
The hostilities have fuelled tension between Israeli Jews and the country’s 21 per cent Arab minority. Violence continued in mixed communities overnight after street fighting and tit-for-tat attacks that prompted Israel’s president to warn of civil war.
“We want to show the world that what is happening in Israel is a war crime,” said a young Montreal demonstrator from Tunisia who gave her name as Rim. “We are here to talk about Israelis who are taking Palestinian homes. The world needs to know, and the world needs to stop it.”
One young couple who were married Saturday morning decided to celebrate their nuptials by protesting for their cause. Patricia Alfaro and Mohamed Jmaiel were wed at 11 a.m. in a virtual ceremony in downtown Montreal, then came to the Westmount Square protest, still attired in wedding dress and suit.
They wanted to do their part “to raise awareness of the conflict,” Alfaro said.
Afterward, they planned to deliver wedding cake to their loved ones who could not be at the service.
Among protesters at Palestinian demo were Patricia Alfaro and Mohamed Jamiel, who were married downtown at 11 am. at a virtual ceremony. “I think we need to do our part to raise awareness of the conflict”. Alfaro said. Afterwards they plan to deliver wedding cake to friends pic.twitter.com/Ky5graSWgH— Rene Bruemmer (@ReneBruemmer) May 15, 2021
Reuters contributed to this report.
rbruemmer@postmedia.com
Related
Israel mounts deadly air attack against Gaza tunnels after decoy ground operation
Israeli airstrikes topple Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices in Gaza as violence escalates
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