The mood changed on the ground after five long weeks of campaigning to stop the Palestinian genocide in Gaza. The message likewise evolved to reflect the public losing patience with its leaders.
About 600 protesters converged on the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to renew their call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the liberation of Palestine, riding a worldwide wave of support that shows no sign of wavering even after five weeks of relentless campaigning.
I say that, but initially morale was low and the crowd wearied, which was to be expected after so much protesting with scarcely any good news. The protesters were quickly galvanised by the appearance of a counterprotester waving an Israeli flag, who was escorted off the premises within minutes by Saanich police. They were indeed wearied, but more furious than ever.
And this time their demands escalated. The speakers were no longer satisfied with calling for a ceasefire. They demanded justice. They demanded that money for military aid be spent on health care and education instead. They demanded massive divestment from corporations that abetted the Palestinian genocide. And they demanded accountability for politicians that failed to comply. In short, they refused to go back to business as usual after several decades of Palestinian apartheid, culminating in a most graphic campaign of ethnic cleansing. They demanded change.
Once again the participants took their message to the streets, this time up Douglas Street to Yates Street, then down Government Street. The crowd had a few choice slogans for companies along the way that supported Israel’s agenda, such as Starbucks, the Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, and Burger King. We met another hostile along the way, this time a shameless heckler engaging in brazen denialism; he too was quickly repelled and left under police escort.
Back at the Legislature, the organisers announced yet another event, next Sunday at the same time, while expressing the sincere wish that a ceasefire would be called in the meantime. It’s easy to lose faith when one keeps trying without results, but it looks like authorities worldwide are finally starting to crack. For example, French president Emmanuel Macron just gave an interview calling for a ceasefire, calling Israel’s campaign morally impossible to justify—a month after banning pro-Palestinian protests countrywide. And in Florida, Republican lawmaker Michelle Salzman faces a motion of censure at the state Legislature after answering that every single Palestinian child had to be killed before she called for a ceasefire in Gaza—not a week after Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib underwent censure in the US congress for calling for a ceasefire. Maybe the likes of Trudeau and Biden can likewise be shamed into turning themselves around—or be made irrelevant by a vindictive electorate.
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Never take your rights for granted. Women in particular know even hard-earned ones are never far from being taken away.
