Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Montreal
Posted October 20, 2023 1:50 pm.
Last Updated October 20, 2023 3:57 pm.
Pro-Palestinian supporters came together on Friday in front of U.S. Consulate in Montreal, on Sainte-Catherine west.
They called on the Biden administration to step-in and help end airstrikes by Israel on Gaza, where over 2 million people live.
Palestinian officials claim more than 4,000 people have been killed in Gaza in less than two weeks.
The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) organized the rally, which started at the U.S. Consulate and was set to end in front of Quebec Premier Legault’s office on Sherbrooke west, near McGill College.
They want to “denounce the Quebec government’s agreement to open a representative office in Israel and to demand its immediate closure.”
On Oct. 10, Quebec announced it would delay the opening of its representative office in Israel amid war with Hamas, until security conditions improve.
Authorities in Israel report 1,400 people have died since the Oct. 7.
PYM and a representative from Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) also spoke on the rise of hate crimes against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in Quebec.
The Canadian Muslim Forum posted a video on Friday afternoon, showing hate-filled graffiti close to an Islamic Centre in Saint-Leonard – writing that incidents like these are “causing anxiety and fear to Montrealers.”
Montreal police say that as of Wednesday morning, 11 hate incidents or crimes have reported against the Muslim community, and 25 against the Jewish community since Oct. 7.
