Ceremonies, events and protests are taking place across Canada on Monday to mark the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
Posted at 8:02 a.m.
Allison Jones
The Canadian Press
The October 7, 2023, attack killed more than 1,200 Israelis, while another 250 were kidnapped and held hostage, sparking an Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza that, according to that country’s health ministry, killed more than 41,000 dead.
The war had far-reaching effects around the world and in Canada. Families grieved after losing loved ones, hundreds of protests resulted in arrests, pro-Palestinian encampments were set up on college campuses, and reports of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims increased.
On the first anniversary of the attack, police forces in Canada’s largest cities are strengthening their protection measures, particularly around Jewish and Muslim places of worship and during events organized to commemorate October 7.
Jewish groups across the country are holding events in cities including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to honor the victims of the attack and call for the return of the hostages.
But other demonstrations are also planned to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people, including one in Montreal, presented as support for the Palestinians’ fight for “total liberation”.
“Next Monday, we renew our support for the resistance; those who are on the front lines and who have sacrificed everything for the total liberation of our sacred land,” the group Montreal4Palestine wrote in a message on Instagram.
“We will continue to support their fight for freedom by any means necessary, because their fight is ours! »
Events at McGill and Concordia
Additionally, groups that staged a months-long encampment on McGill University’s downtown campus last spring and summer are planning a strike and march from Concordia University to McGill University on Monday afternoon.
The group had called on the institution to end its investments in companies linked to the Israeli army and to cut ties with Israeli institutions.
A vigil organized by Jewish groups is also planned for Monday afternoon at the main gates of the McGill University campus.
The university is restricting access to its campuses on Monday, and many classes will be held online.
A Quebec Superior Court judge also granted a temporary injunction against some of the groups, ordering them not to block access to Concordia University or disrupt classes.
Police officers on the lookout
Montreal police and other law enforcement agencies across Canada have announced they will increase their presence before October 7.
Vancouver Police Chief Constable Adam Palmer said planned and unplanned protests across the city pose a “significant” risk of unrest, and officers trained specifically for large-scale events are being deployed.
The pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, which refers to the October 7 attacks as “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas’ code name for the operation, is planning a rally in Vancouver.
According to Toronto police, more than 1,500 protests have taken place in the city since last October, with 72 protest-related arrests, and so far 350 hate crimes have been reported this year, which the chief says represents an increase of 40% compared to last year. Alleged hate crimes against the city’s Jewish residents increased by 69 percent, he added.
Rallies and protests took place around the world over the weekend leading up to October 7, including large events in European cities and marches and vigils in Canada.
During his visit to Paris on Saturday for the Francophonie Summit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Israel also recently attacked several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s Beirut suburbs and began a ground incursion. An airstrike hit a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon as Israel targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Iran, which helps arm and finance Hamas and Hezbollah, launched at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel last Tuesday.
