Pro-Palestinian protester says he shouldn't have been charged for contentious chant
The Canadian Press
Sun, November 19, 2023
CALGARY — A man who repeatedly used a contentious chant at a pro-Palestinian rally says he never should have been charged by Calgary police because the phrase is not offensive.
Wesam Cooley, 32, was charged following a protest in the city's downtown earlier this month with causing a disturbance, and a hate motivation had been applied to that offence. His charges were stayed Friday by Alberta's Crown prosecution service.
"I was hoping they would be dropped. They never should have been laid in the first place," Cooley, who also goes by Wesam Khaled, told reporters Sunday before another pro-Palestinian rally was held in Calgary.
"There's absolutely nothing offensive about the chant 'from the river to the sea.' It's a call for freedom for the people of Palestine."
Many Palestinian activists say the chant is a call for peace and equality after 75 years of Israeli statehood, but Jewish people hear a clear demand for Israel's destruction.
It has become a battle cry for pro-Palestinian activists since the deadly attacks by Hamas across southern Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's later bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
When Cooley was charged, Calgary police said that two groups of protesters gathered at City Hall on Nov. 5 to show support for Palestine and Israel amid the conflict in the Middle East. Officers met with each group to address the safety of participants and discuss some of the language and signage from past protests.
Officers alleged he took to the stage, acknowledged the conversation then repeatedly used an "antisemitic phrase" while encouraging the crowd to follow along.
The phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" was again chanted by the hundreds gathered at Sunday's rally at Calgary City Hall, which took place across the street from a rally for Israel.
Some Jewish people at the pro-Israel rally said they are deeply offended by the phrase.
"It's very clear what they are saying," said Elliott Steinberg, who described himself as a devoted member of the Jewish community. "They are talking about the Jordan River and the Mediterranean which, if you look at a map, encompasses all of Israel.
"So, what they're saying is that when they want to free Palestine, they want to clear it of all Jewish people. That's genocide. It's not an innocent statement."
Leigh-Anne Palter, who's also Jewish, said there's no nuance to the phrase.
"The entire region is Arab. There's a tiny little portion of the world that belongs to Jews," she said. "It means what they mean. Hamas exists to extinguish the Jewish people. That is their sole purpose.
"My heart aches for all of the innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict, but let's be clear: Hamas is endangering their own people. It's a deliberate action meant to incite violence and uncertainty in the entire region and across the world."
She said her granddaughter is at a Jewish daycare in Edmonton and she hasn't been outside in five weeks.
"It's a very scary time for everyone, and it's a sad time that these are my neighbours, that these are my potential colleagues and there's so much hate."
Khaled said Sunday he doesn't see it that way.
"We have members of the Jewish community at all of our marches. All around the world Jewish organizations have been leading demonstrations and solidarity with Palestine, including this chant," he said.
"Jewish people in this country should not feel threatened by this chant. We are opposed to all forms of racism, including antisemitism."
Others at the pro-Palestinian rally said they were there to protest the deaths of innocent women and children in Gaza.
In Halifax, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at a downtown hotel Sunday as the annual Halifax International Security Forum came to an end.
Attendees of the forum, that included a panel with a former Israeli prime minister, were greeted by chants calling for an immediate ceasefire as they left the conference venue. Protesters held signs that read "stop the genocide and the occupation" and "peace for Gaza" and "ceasefire now."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 19, 2023.
— With files from Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax and The Associated Press
Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press
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4 charged following protests in downtown Calgary
CBC
Sun, November 19, 2023
Demonstrators gather at Municipal Plaza in Calgary Nov. 19 for a pro-Palestinian rally, and pro-Israel demonstration. Calgary police say there were up to 2,000 people in attendance. (Helen Pike/CBC - image credit)
Three men and a woman have been charged following demonstrations at Calgary city hall Sunday involving both pro-Palestinian supporters and those supporting Israel.
Approximately 2,000 people took part in the rallies, police said in statement, noting most of the protesters were peaceful.
However, following the march, a group of roughly 100 people broke off from the main pro-Palestinian protest group and blocked traffic at the intersection of northbound Macleod Trail and Fourth Avenue S.E., creating a dangerous situation between motorists and demonstrators, according to police.
Five people from that group were arrested, police said.
"Several individuals within this group were not compliant with police and despite attempted negotiations, continued to impede traffic and escalate their behaviour, with some attempting to push through a line of police officers," police said in a release Monday.
Two 25-year-old men and one 30-year-old man have been charged with assaulting a peace officer. A 27-year--old woman has been charged with obstruction of a peace officer in relation to interference as police attempted to make an arrest, police said.
Police noted that during her arrest, her hijab became displaced, which they said officers immediately allowed to be rectified.
The fifth person taken into custody, who was a youth, was released without charges after his parents were allowed behind the police line to de-escalate the situation, police said.
Police say they connected with community leaders and protest organizers before Sunday's demonstrations in anticipation of large crowds.
CBC
Sun, November 19, 2023
Demonstrators gather at Municipal Plaza in Calgary Nov. 19 for a pro-Palestinian rally, and pro-Israel demonstration. Calgary police say there were up to 2,000 people in attendance. (Helen Pike/CBC - image credit)
Three men and a woman have been charged following demonstrations at Calgary city hall Sunday involving both pro-Palestinian supporters and those supporting Israel.
Approximately 2,000 people took part in the rallies, police said in statement, noting most of the protesters were peaceful.
However, following the march, a group of roughly 100 people broke off from the main pro-Palestinian protest group and blocked traffic at the intersection of northbound Macleod Trail and Fourth Avenue S.E., creating a dangerous situation between motorists and demonstrators, according to police.
Five people from that group were arrested, police said.
"Several individuals within this group were not compliant with police and despite attempted negotiations, continued to impede traffic and escalate their behaviour, with some attempting to push through a line of police officers," police said in a release Monday.
Two 25-year-old men and one 30-year-old man have been charged with assaulting a peace officer. A 27-year--old woman has been charged with obstruction of a peace officer in relation to interference as police attempted to make an arrest, police said.
Police noted that during her arrest, her hijab became displaced, which they said officers immediately allowed to be rectified.
The fifth person taken into custody, who was a youth, was released without charges after his parents were allowed behind the police line to de-escalate the situation, police said.
Police say they connected with community leaders and protest organizers before Sunday's demonstrations in anticipation of large crowds.
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