Victoria’s Palestine Supporters Keep Rallying, Rain or Shine

About 315 Palestine supporters rallied at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria, for the twelfth weekend in a row, to keep putting pressure on every level of government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Demands are escalating as fast as the conflict on the ground. Speakers have called for nothing short of declaring Israel a pariah state, by having Canada withdraw its ambassador, implement economic sanctions, and impose an arms embargo—even if that means stopping exports of weapons to the US, our otherwise steadfast ally, so these will not end up into Israeli hands. You’ve read this right: calling upon sanctions on the US for its support of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian is rapidly creeping into the mainstream.

There have been few speeches this afternoon. The unspeakable can only be reiterated so many times before one runs out of words or motivation. Instead, the crowd quickly took its message to the streets, and changed its tactics by addressing the public at busy intersections, not with mere rote slogans but actual speeches one would normally have to walk all the way to the Legislature to hear.

There has indeed been no shortage of recent developments that should cause concern for the public at large, such as IDF strikes at Syria and Lebanon, Yemen’s blockade of Israeli ships, Biden expanding arms sales to Israel without Congress’ approval, and South Africa accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice. Those who study History should recognise the omens of a regional conflict, if not a global one.

Due to the rain, there were few people to listen in downtown Victoria today. Speakers at these rallies have actually witnessed bombs raining upon them and their loved ones, and watched the horrors of war and occupation firsthand. While public opinion tilts heavily in the protesters’ favour, I wonder how many people actually understand the gravity of the situation, for having never seen a conflict zone from any closer than through their TV screens, in the comfort of their living rooms. I would say too few, otherwise we’d be thousands marching every weekend, rain or shine, instead of mere hundreds.