Celebrations, events and protests are being held across Canada on Monday to commemorate the Hamas attack on Israel that led to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The October 7, 2023 attack killed more than 1,200 Israelis, while 250 others were kidnapped and held hostage, leading to an Israeli counterattack in Gaza that the Ministry of Health there says left more than 41,000 dead.
The conflict has had far-reaching effects around the world and in Canada, including families grieving for loved ones who were killed, hundreds of protests that led to arrests, pro-Palestinian encampments on college campuses, and a spike in reports of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims.
On the first anniversary, police in Canada’s largest cities are working to strengthen protection measures, especially around Jewish and Islamic places of worship and at events held to commemorate October 7.
Jewish groups across the country are organizing events in cities including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to mourn the victims of the attack and call for the return of the hostages.
Meanwhile, several protests are also scheduled to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, including a protest in Montreal, described as supporting the Palestinians’ struggle for “complete liberation.”
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“Next Monday, we will take over the streets of Montreal in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine,” the group Montreal4Palestine said in an Instagram post announcing the event.
“We will renew our support for the resistance and will continue to support the struggle for freedom by any means necessary.”
Meanwhile, groups that organized a months-long encampment on McGill University’s downtown campus last spring and summer plan to withdraw and march from Concordia University to McGill on Monday afternoon.
The group called on McGill to end its investments in companies linked to the Israeli army and sever ties with Israeli institutions.
A vigil organized by Jewish groups is also scheduled for Monday afternoon at the main gates of McGill’s downtown campus.
McGill University is restricting access to its campus on Monday, and many classes will be held online.
A Quebec Superior Court judge also issued a temporary injunction against some of the groups, ordering them not to block access to Concordia or disrupt any classes.
Montreal police and other law enforcement agencies across Canada said they will increase their presence before Oct. 7.
Vancouver Police Chief Const. Adam Palmer says planned and unplanned protests across the city pose a “significant” risk of chaos, and specially trained officers are being deployed for large-scale events.
The pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, which refers to the October 7 attacks as the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas’ code name for the operation, is planning a march in Vancouver.
Toronto police say there have been more than 1,500 demonstrations across the city since last October, with 72 protest-related arrests, and so far there have been 350 reports of hate crimes this year, which the chief says is a 40 per cent increase from last year. year. He added that alleged hate crimes against the city’s Jewish residents had risen by 69 percent.
Marches and protests were held around the world in the weekend leading up to October 7, including huge events in European cities and marches and vigils in Canada.
While in Paris on Saturday for a Francophonie summit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Israel also recently pursued multiple Hezbollah targets in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and began a ground incursion. An air strike hit a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon while Israel targeted Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Iran, which helps arm and finance Hamas and Hezbollah, fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
