Protesters in Montreal show support for Gaza, denounce 'red lines crossed' by Israel

Anne-Marie Barabé was under no illusions.

In the last 20 months, Montreal has been host to countless protests denouncing Israel's relentless bombing campaign in Gaza. 

Participating in the latest one on Saturday afternoon, the Montrealer acknowledged, is unlikely to have a direct effect on what's happening thousands of kilometres away. But Barabé felt she had to be there. 

"We feel so helpless," she said. "We find that our governments are very timid when it comes to the situation and what's happening is completely intolerable."

Another protester, Julie Guernier, described what's happening in Gaza as a genocide being broadcast live.

According to La Presse Canadienne, Barabé and Guernier were among several thousand protesters who gathered near the Guy-Concordia Metro station downtown, before marching to the recently inaugurated Place des Montréalaises.

Many were either dressed in red shirts, or waved the red, white, black and green Palestinian flag in a display meant to symbolize "the many red lines crossed by Israel in Gaza," according to the news release for the protest.

Organizers were also urging Canada "to move now from words to actions," the news release reads.

The event was organized jointly by a long list of organizations: Amnistie internationale Canada Francophone, Doctors Without Borders Canada, Save the Children Canada, and Oxfam-Québec to name a few.

'Hunger is being used as a war weapon'

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Béatrice Vaugrante, the executive director for Oxfam-Québec, described Canada's actions — or inaction — as a "monumental legal and moral failure."

"Hunger is being used as a war weapon. We have a population that is really on the edge of famine with bombings that target civil infrastructure and the population," Vaugrante said.

A new analysis by the Crisis Group, an NGO that studies global conflicts, concludes that Israel's military has turned Gaza into a giant "experiment in starvation" and is creating conditions for the forced displacement of Palestinians by keeping people fed just enough to stay alive, but hungry enough to rebel against Hamas.

Last month, the Gaza Humanitaran Fund (GHF), a group backed by the U.S. that has drawn criticism and strong condemnation from other agencies, began its aid distribution operation in the enclave.

A collection of Western aid agencies have accused Israel of using the GHF to deliberately herd Palestinians out of their homes in order to be closer to the aid distribution centres, where it will be it easier to move them out of Gaza permanently.

GHF took over delivering aid in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel lifted its almost three month-long blockade of the territory.

In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Ministry wrote: "Hundreds of trucks. Millions of meals. Every Single Day. One of the largest humanitarian aid operations in the world is currently reaching the people of Gaza — enabled by Israel."

The organizers for Saturday's protest in Montreal are calling for a permanent ceasefire and for Canada to work to put an end to the displacement of people in the West Bank.

Vaugrante appeared hopeful that protests, like the one on Saturday, can make a difference. 

"All action, peaceful action, are welcome," she said. "Everything we've done together, from marches to artistic expressions to signing petitions, meeting elected officials, this plurality of action means that the pressure is ramping up."

Earlier this week, Canada joined the U.K., Norway, Australia and New Zealand in sanctioning two Israeli ministers for "inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank" — a move condemned by the Trump Administration.

'No words'

Israel began a military campaign in Gaza after it was attacked by Hamas-led militants, who killed some 1,200 people and took about 251 hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities say. Since then, nearly 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, and much of the densely populated strip has been flattened.

"There are no words left to describe the situation in Gaza right now," said Mélanie Jomphe, who also attended Saturday's protest in Montreal. Jomphe is in charge of human resources in for Doctors Without Borders. She said she worked in Gaza for five months in Deir al Balah, a city in the centre of the Gaza strip. 

In recent days, part of the focus has shifted onto tensions between Israel and Iran that have escalated significantly.  

On Sunday, Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defences to strike buildings in the heart of the country.

Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long followed developments in the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists.

Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Israel said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 wounded. 

Based on a report by La Presse Canadienne, with files from Radio-Canada, CBC's Chris Brown and The Associated Press.