Hands Off Lebanon! Victoria’s Jaywalking Club Takes to the Streets

95 protesters took to the streets of Victoria tonight to demand Israel abort its recent offensive on Lebanon, in addition to Palestine supporters’ usual petitions such as an arms embargo on the Zionist regime.

The unsanctioned rally was called just a few hours in advance, calling all hands to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, without any explicit mention of a march, such that a few unused to these flash marches had no idea we were about to mass jaywalk right in front of the cops.

The attendance took objection to the acts of terrorism committed by Israel against Lebanon in prelude to an escalation from the genocide in Gaza to a full-scale regional conflict. This includes of course its recent simultaneous detonation of three thousand pagers owned by Lebanese citizens, killing over thirty and maiming many more.

This attack would be followed by air raids that killed about 500 people, according to Al Jazeera, whose branch office in the West Bank was preemptively raided by the IDF. Just like in Gaza, Israel broadcast text messages to Lebanese residents warning them of the impending bombardment and ordering them to evacuate.

Israel did not provide a tangible rationale for its attack. The military offered that Lebanon was somehow a failed state incapable of asserting its sovereignty on the south of the country, and that somehow made the region up for grabs, which is just the same as admitting not to have a reason; at least Putin had enough sense to label Ukrainians Nazis before invading.

Tonight’s itinerary took the marchers up Government Street to Wharf Street. Victoria Police was quick to dispatch several officers in an attempt to shepherd the procession, but only became assertive once the procession closed on the Johnson Street bridge. The protesters instead turned back on Government Street toward the Legislature where they peacefully dispersed. Seven police officers walked through the crowd on the precincts, but no arrests were made.

Twice the attendance occupied the intersection at Government and Wharf, where organisers implored passersby to join their call for an arms embargo against Israel. While the Canadian government did impose a moratorium on weapon export permits to the Zionist state, recent revelations have shown it easily worked around, by transiting via the United States for example.

With the exception of an random encounter with a Zionist making an ass of himself by calling for the release of the hostages (which have nothing to do with Lebanon), the event unfolded without notable incident.