People from across Canada participated Saturday in a massive national pro-Palestinian rally on Parliament Hill, calling for an end to the war on Gaza ahead of the federal election on April 28.
The march was held through downtown Ottawa. CTV News reached out to the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) for an estimate of the number of participants. Both services said they don’t provide estimates.
It was endorsed by over 150 organizations, and attended by diverse groups from across the country, said the organizers in a news release.
Organizers with the Palestinian Youth Movement are calling on party leaders to support an arms embargo with Israel and a permanent ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.
“All politicians who don’t endorse a two-way arms embargo will not get a single vote from any of our communities if you don’t endorse it,” said Shatha Mahmoud, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement.
“You can’t canvass in our communities. You can’t fundraise in our community. You can’t come into our mosques, you can’t come into any of our spaces or get any of our approval or votes if you not endorse a two-way arms embargo.”
Yara Shoufani, another organizer of the rally, said Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities are highly mobilized during this election.
“The movement that we’ve built is so much larger than our own communities,” Shoufani said.
“Of course, we know that there are other really important election issues like the tariffs. We also know that Palestine has been a key issue for many Canadians.”
Protesters who spoke to CTV News said the war is driving their choice of candidate at the polls.
“I’m going to be voting and, to be honest, what’s driving my vote right now is our foreign policy,” said Youcef Ziani, a protester.
“These are not our Canadian values of empathy, of caring about each other, caring about our people. Our government support to this genocide is a burden.”
Another protester, Hamza Nyazidi, said his opinion will be guided by the “opinion of our leaders and the party that we will support to stop genocide happening in Gaza.”
CTV News Ottawa reached out to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) for an interview, but no one was available for comment “due to Shabbat and the holiday of Passover, during which Jewish organizations do not conduct interviews or public commentary in observance of religious practice.”
This protest comes after Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas in mid-March, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The AP reported that at least 50,695 Palestinians were killed by Israel’s offensive, according to local health officials.
The United Nations estimates 70 per cent of the people who died in Gaza are women and children. Israel says 20,000 were militants, but it does not provide evidence, according to the AP.
The war started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, and taking 251 hostages. So far, 59 hostages are still held in Gaza, 24 are believed to be alive.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dylan Dyson, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
