"Dear Santa, for Christmas this year, I want the Canadian government to stop arming Israel. And total liberation for the Palestinian people and their land, from the river to the sea."
About 375 Palestine supporters rallied once more at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria, this time two days before Christmas brandishing a wish list for the Canadian government two months in the making.
And greedy indeed were those good kids who keep wishing to Santa every weekend at the Legislature since October. This year the protesters don’t want fancy toys, they want world peace—or they’ll settle for peace in Gaza, preferably before the IDF spent its last ammunition or spent the last Palestinian in the region. I know, keep dreaming…
The organisers didn’t address their letters to Santa, but to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instead. Volunteers indeed circulated letters for the attendees to sign, the contents of which were read aloud to the audience:
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
My name is __________ and I’m writing to you as a resident of Canada. My heart breaks over the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. I am ashamed that Canada has failed the people of Palestine time and again. Voting for a non-binding ceasefire resolution at the United Nations is not enough. I denounce the inaction of provincial and federal elected officials since the beginning of this genocide. Your passivity has contributed to the loss of 20,000 lives and counting, including those of 7,000 children. The massacre of all these innocent civilians is nothing less than a war crime.
Canada must take action to ensure a lasting ceasefire. Canada must stop selling weapons to Israel and making its citizens complicit in war crimes. I am urging you to do everything in your power to stop this violence and lift the 16-year blockade that Israel has imposed on Gaza. Denying Palestinians access to food and water, medical supplies, fuel, and other necessities of life is a crime against humanity, and it must stop now!
I want Gazans to live.
Signed, __________
Of course writing letters just won’t cut it for a crowd that tires of getting ignored, so once again it marched throughout downtown Victoria chanting its slogans for everyone to hear all the way to the outskirts of town. Bystanders in general were empathetic, if not outright supportive, although sadly there also was more hostility than usual; the march nevertheless unfolded without incident. Organisers had reminded the participants not to engage with hostiles beforehand.
Victoria isn’t the only city to organise during the holidays. The emblematic city of Bethlehem, purported birthplace of Jesus, has decided to scale down its festivities this year in protest over the genocide in Gaza. Instead of the usual crèche, Baby Jesus instead lies in a heap of rubble. Likewise, expect worldwide deployment throughout the holidays instead of the usual family celebrations and shopping festival only a privileged few can afford anyway during a global cost of living crisis. Peoples of the world have quite the laundry list for Santa this year, and somehow justice for Gaza tops it.
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