Palestinian supporters march again a week after complaints prompt probe into protest chants

Published Apr 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 1 minute read

Demonstrators gather on Elgin Street Saturday to protest events in Gaza. ott

As they have for months now, hundreds of people rallied in downtown Ottawa Saturday to protest the Israeli invasion of Gaza and to demonstrate their support for the Palestinian people.
Marching through a steady spring drizzle, the demonstrators marched in a block-long column up Elgin Street and into the ByWard Market, before returning to rally in front of the Canadian Human Rights Monument.

Advertisement 2

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.

SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Sign In or Create an Account

Article content

Escorted by Ottawa police, the demonstrators paused at major intersections for several minutes at a time, briefly blocking traffic before moving along.

Article content

Outside the Prime Minister’s Office, demonstrators let loose smoke canisters that filled the air with a red and green haze.

Saturday’s crowd in Ottawa was loud and disruptive, but generally orderly as the marchers banged drums and waved dozens of the green, white, red and black Palestinian flags.

Palestinian supporters marched through Ottawa’s downtown Saturday with police barring traffic from the Human Rights Monument to Parliament Hill as they slowly moved through the core.Photo by JULIE OLIVER/Postmedia Photo by JULIE OLIVER /Postmedia

It was the first such demonstration since the Ottawa police hate and bias crime unit launched an investigation after complaints last weekend of hateful and antisemitic chants by some of the demonstrators that glorified the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people. “Our resistance attacks are proof that we are almost free,” a man can be heard saying in the video from the protest last weekend.

“Oct. 7 is proof that we are almost free. Long live Oct. 7, long live the resistance, long live the intifada, long live every form of resistance.”

Threats of violence and other unlawful conduct are not protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which enshrines Canadians’ right to free assembly.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have both condemned the glorification of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“There is a difference between peaceful protest and hateful intimidation,” Trudeau wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“It is unconscionable to glorify the antisemitic violence and murder perpetrated by Hamas on Oct. 7. This rhetoric has no place in Canada. None.”

With files from The Canadian Press

Article content

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : OttawaCitizen – https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/palestinian-supporters-march-again-a-week-after-complaints-prompt-probe-into-protest-chants