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A line of police officers used their bodies and bikes as a blockade Tuesday when pro-Palestinian protesters marched passed a small crowd of Israeli supporters near Parliament Hill.
One side shouted slogans such as “Down with Hamas” — the other “Free Gaza,” but soon the marchers were on their way, holding flags and signs listing the names and ages of the dead in Gaza.
It was a brief skirmish in the ongoing war of words, reflecting both the proximity and impassioned perspectives held by each side, present in Canada as well as the Middle East.
The group of more than a dozen Israeli supporters stood just one block from where hundreds of demonstrators filled the sidewalk in front of the Prime Minister’s Office and called on Stephen Harper to condemn recent Israeli actions in Gaza.
Yarah Qasem, who is part of the Ottawa Palestinian group that helped organize the event, said she, like many Palestinians, feel obligated to speak out.
“It’s part of my identity,” said the 18-year-old whose family is from Palestinian territory. She said much of her life is activism, and it’s one of the reasons she’s taking international law in university. “I want to dedicate my career to this case.
“It’s not that we don’t want (Israel) to exist, it’s that we want to return to our homes. We want to be treated like human beings,” said Qasem, referencing the more than 600 people who have died in Gaza in the past two weeks. Israel has lost 27 soldiers and two civilians.
Nicole Schaffer stood with a white sign slung around her neck, with the words “I am a Jew and I support Gaza.”
Schaffer, who is a University of Ottawa PhD student, said it was her first rally in support of the Palestinians. Upset by the number of civilian casualties, she said her Jewish heritage made it even more important she show her support.
“I think it’s important for especially the Israeli government to hear that Jews around the world are not in support of many of the actions they are taking,” she said, while chants of “end the occupation,” and banging pots drowned her words.
Related
Qasem, for her part, is a regular at Palestinian protests and says wanting a free state of Palestine doesn’t mean a hatred of Jews.
However, Michael Goldstein, a Glebe rabbi, said the political always has the religious undertones.
Goldstein had organized a counter-protest in support of Israel. But he said it was called off on the advice of police.
He and a small crowd of about 15 people came anyway, lining a sidewalk one block away from the rally.
Goldstein warned of anti-Semitic violence, and said there have been signs of it emerging at similar pro-Palestinian protests around the country.
“Members of the Jewish community were telling me ‘I don’t want to be downtown on Wellington Street while this rally is happening because I’m fearful for my safety,’” he said. “We felt that type of intimidation is unacceptable in the city and this country, so we were coming to address that point, to speak up for the safety.”
“I think it’s important we start connecting the dots between Calgary and Montreal and Toronto and seeing that there is a connected pattern of anti-Semitic violence brewing in the country.”
sallen@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/samanthawrights
查看原文...
One side shouted slogans such as “Down with Hamas” — the other “Free Gaza,” but soon the marchers were on their way, holding flags and signs listing the names and ages of the dead in Gaza.
It was a brief skirmish in the ongoing war of words, reflecting both the proximity and impassioned perspectives held by each side, present in Canada as well as the Middle East.
The group of more than a dozen Israeli supporters stood just one block from where hundreds of demonstrators filled the sidewalk in front of the Prime Minister’s Office and called on Stephen Harper to condemn recent Israeli actions in Gaza.
Yarah Qasem, who is part of the Ottawa Palestinian group that helped organize the event, said she, like many Palestinians, feel obligated to speak out.
“It’s part of my identity,” said the 18-year-old whose family is from Palestinian territory. She said much of her life is activism, and it’s one of the reasons she’s taking international law in university. “I want to dedicate my career to this case.
“It’s not that we don’t want (Israel) to exist, it’s that we want to return to our homes. We want to be treated like human beings,” said Qasem, referencing the more than 600 people who have died in Gaza in the past two weeks. Israel has lost 27 soldiers and two civilians.
Nicole Schaffer stood with a white sign slung around her neck, with the words “I am a Jew and I support Gaza.”
Schaffer, who is a University of Ottawa PhD student, said it was her first rally in support of the Palestinians. Upset by the number of civilian casualties, she said her Jewish heritage made it even more important she show her support.
“I think it’s important for especially the Israeli government to hear that Jews around the world are not in support of many of the actions they are taking,” she said, while chants of “end the occupation,” and banging pots drowned her words.
Related
Qasem, for her part, is a regular at Palestinian protests and says wanting a free state of Palestine doesn’t mean a hatred of Jews.
However, Michael Goldstein, a Glebe rabbi, said the political always has the religious undertones.
Goldstein had organized a counter-protest in support of Israel. But he said it was called off on the advice of police.
He and a small crowd of about 15 people came anyway, lining a sidewalk one block away from the rally.
Goldstein warned of anti-Semitic violence, and said there have been signs of it emerging at similar pro-Palestinian protests around the country.
“Members of the Jewish community were telling me ‘I don’t want to be downtown on Wellington Street while this rally is happening because I’m fearful for my safety,’” he said. “We felt that type of intimidation is unacceptable in the city and this country, so we were coming to address that point, to speak up for the safety.”
“I think it’s important we start connecting the dots between Calgary and Montreal and Toronto and seeing that there is a connected pattern of anti-Semitic violence brewing in the country.”
sallen@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/samanthawrights
查看原文...
