Victoria Marches Once Again for a Free Palestine

This week’s theme was the environment, as the IDF’s onslaught on Gaza ravages the land there and beyond.

Around 350 Palestine supporters rallied at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria, for the eighteenth weekend in a row, to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israel from occupied territories.

Free Palestine Rally @ Victoria, BC: 2024/02/11 14:32:20
Cool new banner today, for those who need 40 cm lettering.
Who needs words? This carries more of a punch.

This week’s theme was the environment. It may look like a strange leap at first glance, but notable environmental advocates such as Howard Breen and Mike Graeme have been staunch supporters of the cause since October.

Speaking of notable environmental advocates, this is a Save Old Growth veteran joining us for the first time.
Animal rights activists meant to display graphic images of animal abuse (or so I was told), only to be dissuaded by VicPD.

The speakers emphasised the devastation the land is subjected to by relentless bombardment. Purposeful targeting of the farmland and water supply is rendering the region uninhabitable, to ensure those displaced never return. The environmental impact is to be felt far beyond Gaza, for many years to come, as the industry of war is a massive polluter. While Selina Robinson may have been bigoted in claiming Gaza is a “crappy piece of land with nothing on it,” Israel is hell bent into making the figure a reality; even if military ordnance don’t kill down to the very last Gazan, a lethal conjuncture of famine, disease, and poisoning will strike the final blow.

Time for a song. Didn’t record it, my microphone is godawful in windy weather.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about that part.

Hostiles were bolder than usual today. One in particular dumbfoundingly walked across the stage with a camera and took closeups of protesters, while the attendance stood there too puzzled to react, and for a while he seemed like an amateur photographer lacking in protest etiquette, but he turned out to be a doxxer in league with the counterprotesters waiting for us at the corner. Sometimes it’s so crazy that it works.

Stay away from him. He’s a doxxer in league with Israel’s supporters. His name is Raymond Parker, and his contact info is found on his website (and also on the idiot’s backpack tag).
Here’s proof they’re in cahoots.
Huh? How did that happen? Where were the wardens?

Speaking of counterprotesters, the organisers sought to avoid a repeat of last week’s performance. Before the march, they first exhorted the crowd not to engage with them, especially by getting close enough to screen them and block their cameras. Then they led the procession toward Government Street’s exit and kept to the right lane, in order to increase the distance between the factions, thus catching the hostiles out of position. Still the protesters could hardly help themselves, if only by flaunting a giant banner by Independent Jewish Voices calling for the end of the occupation, embarrassing a Jewish heckler adamant that the conflict pitted Jews against Arabs.

Sorry, rabid pack animals fear nothing. But keep making those signs, I love them!
Taking the Government Street exit instead of going down the walkway.
Once again I took a good picture by accident. My bad.
Have a better look at that banner, almost big enough to be visible from space.

Starting next weekend, the rallies will be held on Saturdays instead of Sundays, the next one being February 17th at 1PM. Holding the events on Shabbat may be inconvenient for our Jewish allies, but it may keep their counterparts home as well.

Protesting before an empty Starbucks. Will it be caught off-guard by the weekday change?
How many more times must we march? How much longer can the people of Gaza hold?

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