Victoria Keeps Denouncing Genocide in Gaza

About 325 activists gathered at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, whose rapidly dwindling numbers and skyrocketing plight has galvanised opposition worldwide as it remains subjected to the onslaught of the Israel Defence Forces for the sixteenth week in a row.

This rally comes in the wake of a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice, albeit provisional, calling upon Israel to refrain from committing a genocide that can be seen with the naked eye from space. The news was as welcome by the protesters as it was pathetic in its reach, as it failed to even call for a ceasefire, although there can be little doubt Israel would not comply with such an order and no coalition of nations would confront the US military’s presence in the region.

Today’s focus was on building a coalition of union workers, if not a coalition of workers’ unions. The labour movement has recurrently proven pivotal in resolving social crises, going all the way back to the antiwar movement in the US. Notable was the presence of the BCGEU’s flag on the stage, even though it hasn’t yet issued a proper ceasefire declaration (but its parent organisation, the National Union of Public and General Employees, did so early on); I could not reach a BCGEU representative for comments by publication time. UPDATE 2024/01/29: A BCGEU member speaking under condition of anonymity confirmed the union does not have a provision against flying its flag at unsanctioned rallies.

In contrast, the organisers and speakers alike seemed to deliberately dodge the issue of a rift that occurred between the Palestinian and Indigenous communities a couple weeks ago, and which has sent the former in damage control mode since. Filmmaker Tiffany Joseph, representing the Saanich people, published an extensive account of the dispute yesterday; I expressed my dismay at this regrettable diplomatic derive in an editorial. I sincerely wish both sides put their differences aside and I urge them to start working together again for the greater good.

While today’s iteration once again drew some regular Israel supporters, no notable incident occurred, even as some of them walked through the crowd. It remains to be seen whether these will prove as persistent as Palestine’s supporters. Either way, the latter are geared to rally for sixteen more weekends if need be, amid a recent surge of local events such as a major UVic walkout, another hit on Scotiabank, and a weekly vigil for health care workers in Gaza.