Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Ottawa’s downtown core Saturday afternoon to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and call for an end to the Israeli oppression of Palestinians.
The Palestinian Students Association at the University of Ottawa organized the protest, named “Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation,” to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in 1948 by Israelis known as “Nakba” or “Catastrophe.”
The student-led protest drew demonstrators to the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument near Ottawa City Hall where they then marched to the National War Memorial. Protestors called for an end to Palestinian oppression amid ongoing violence between Israel and Palestine which has killed more than 200 people, a majority of which were Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The protest in Ottawa was one of several recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations across Canada. Activists’ rally signs called for an end to the bloodshed and “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.
A Human Rights Watch report published last month states Israeli authorities “methodically privilege Jewish Israelis and discriminate against Palestinians.” In some areas of Israel, the report states the “deprivations are so severe that they amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution” against Palestinians and its own Arab minority.
The diversity and scale of the Ottawa protest was an empowering sight for Rami Ali, a Palestinian-Canadian protestor who said he viewed the demonstration as a chance to make Palestinian voices heard.
“It’s important to make a difference and have our voices be heard so people can understand what is apartheid and what are its consequences for the Palestinian people, for the people in Sheikh Jarrah and the people in Gaza,” Ali said.
Media outlets often frame the violence between Israel and Palestine as a conflict. Ali said he hopes more people will come to understand the situation for what it truly is, a “one-sided occupation.”
“The thing people really need to understand nowadays is that it’s not a conflict, it’s not an equal fight from both sides. It’s oppression and apartheid that needs to end,” he said.
Omar Abokasem, an incoming student at the University of Ottawa, said the march was a chance to call out complicit power structures in Canada, including the federal government.
“We need to voice our problems to the government, let them know that we’re here for the people of Palestine and they need to stop funding what’s going on over there,” Abokasem said.
Abokasem’s critique of the federal government echoed calls from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in the House of Commons on May 12 to block Canada’s arms sales to Israel. Singh accused the Liberal government of “undermining the peace process” and “supporting illegal occupation” by continuing to provide military exports to Israel.
“Hopefully, the Canadian government sees what they’re funding is an issue and stops what they’re doing, and hopefully our MPs as well will see that we have real power over here and that we have a voice,” Abokasem said.
He said he hopes people continue to learn more about Palestinian oppression and understand the current situation is more than a conflict.
“I hope people understand this is not just a Palestinian struggle or a Muslim struggle, it’s a human rights issue.”
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, participated in the protest to amplify the voices of Palestinians who are “putting in a lot of labour to educate the public.”
“When it comes to stuff like this, I always come from the mindset of empathy but also recognizing that movements for liberation are interlocked,” Owusu-Akyeeah said. “As a West-African who understands colonization very intimately—it’s one of the reasons why my family is here in Canada—I know that my liberation as a Black, queer woman cannot happen without the liberation of Palestinian people as well.”
For Jana Imran, a senior at Ridgemont High School, the protest was an opportunity to educate others about the Palestinian struggle.
“I think this is our right to do a protest to show people and educate people what’s been happening,” Imran said.
“We’ve always been saying around the world that human rights matter, so you have to prove human rights actually do matter.”
Featured image by Timothy Austen.
