Large pro-Israel rally held on Parliament Hill to show solidarity, decry antisemitism

Supporters of Israel and prominent Jewish groups rallied Monday on Parliament Hill, calling for an end to antisemitic violence in Canada and for solidarity with Israel.

“Our sorrow is deep and immeasurable,” said Raquel Look.

Her son, Alexandre, who lived in Montreal, was killed by Hamas militants at a music festival in Israel in October.

“We want to channel this immense pain into a call for action. This tragedy is not just a horrific personal loss,” she said.

“It is a wake-up call to our politicians. All of them.”

Look’s son was among an estimated 1,200 people killed on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched attacks on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip.

Since then, officials in the Hamas-controlled territory say 15,500 Palestinians have been killed as Israel retaliates, including with airstrikes, the cutting off of key supplies and a military offensive on the ground.

On Monday, hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, many of whom brought Israeli flags with them. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which organized the rally, said it aimed to show collective strength in the face of what it calls staggering antisemitism.

Speakers referred to incidents in Canada such as shots being fired at Jewish schools, a Molotov cocktail being thrown at a Jewish community centre and a bomb threat against a high school.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather told the rally that some people have been minimizing the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians.

“The last few weeks have left me very angry. Angry that as soon as Hamas murdered Israelis, people started making justifications.”

Housefather was among a handful of MPs who recently travelled to Israel at the invitation of Jewish federations in Canada, including Liberals, Conservatives and one independent MP. Most of them attended Monday’s rally.

An NDP spokeswoman said the party’s MPs were invited to attend, but none were available. However, MP Matthew Green told reporters Monday he had “certainly” not received an invite.

The party has called for a ceasefire in the latest Israel-Hamas war, and a spokeswoman noted leader Jagmeet Singh has met with relatives of those killed by Hamas and denounced antisemitism.

At the rally, Housefather said the trip confirmed his belief that the Hamas attack amounted to a pogrom against Jews.

“We saw bullet holes and blood traces and cars that were run off the road when their occupants were killed. We heard from survivors — stories of rape, torture and murder. We met with families of Canadians who were massacred and with families of the hostages,” he said.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said she was “outraged” at Canada’s political class for what she deemed to be a failure to protect Jewish people.

“It was easy to be pro-Israel when this first happened, and it’s much harder now. And now we see who they really are,” she said of politicians.

“Canada has somehow become a country that abandoned our long-standing principled position, and opted for mealy mouthed platitudes from far too many,” Lantsman said.

She called for an end to boycotts of Jewish businesses, and prosecution of those behind vandalism and possible hate crimes.

“It is not over until every politician in this country condemns the faceless, mask-wearing, screaming mobs who are illegally inciting hatred in our streets.”

Speakers at the rally called for Canadians to speak out for Israel’s right to exist and its need to defend itself against terror. They are also calling on the international community to push for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

“We cannot afford to be complacent. We cannot accept the silence of those who have yet to speak out,” said Look.

Smaller counter-demonstrations took place near the barriers along the edges of the Parliament Hill lawn, where dozens of protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs decrying Israel’s military actions.

Israel’s National Security Council recently increased the threat level for Jewish people in parts of Western Europe, though Canada remains listed as having “no travel threat” for Israelis.

This weekend, Israel resumed deadly airstrikes on southern Gaza after a weeklong truce fell apart on Friday, with both sides blaming the other.

The Israeli army said more than 250 rockets were fired from Gaza since the truce ended.

Israeli officials say 137 people are still being held hostage in Gaza. Another 105 were freed during the ceasefire in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians who were being held in Israeli prisons. Most of those released on both sides were women and children.

Those exchanges took place at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Since the truce ended, foreign nationals have been allowed to leave through the Rafah crossing once again. Global Affairs Canada said that included about 130 Canadians who left over the weekend.

The department said in a statement Sunday evening that about 600 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members have been able to leave the besieged territory so far. The department says there are 426 Canadians in the West Bank and Gaza who are registered with the federal government.

Global Affairs Canada also said Sunday night that an eighth Canadian has died as a result of the current conflict, this time in Lebanon.

One Canadian woman is considered missing, the government said. While Ottawa is not identifying her, the family of Judih Weinstein Haggai says she is believed to be held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Her family says she holds Canadian, Israeli and American citizenships, and lived in Toronto for 20 years.

Later Monday, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association was expected to host a separate event on Parliament Hill to urge for peace in the Middle East, starting with a ceasefire.

Event organizers said they were expecting elected officials from various parties to attend, including Diversity and Inclusion Minister Kamal Khera and Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez.

The possibility of a new ceasefire deal seems remote. Israel has recalled its negotiators and Hamas’s deputy leader has said that any further release of hostages would only happen as part of ending the war.

On Saturday, an International Criminal Court prosecutor said his office is serious about moving forward to investigate allegations of war crimes on both sides.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2023.

— With files from Laura Osman and The Associated Press.