About 800 people gather in St. John's in support of Palestinians, while calling for ceasefire

Around 800 people marched through the streets of downtown St. John's on Saturday to show their support for Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

The rally was part of a national day of action that included protests in more than 30 other Canadian cities and hundreds of others being held across the world.

Peace activist Elise Thorburn said the march focused on three demands.

"An immediate ceasefire and end to the genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza," said Thorburn. "Lifting the siege on Gaza to allow for urgent medical aid and relief efforts, and an end to Canada's complicity in Israel's war crimes."

Reem Abu-hendi, another organizer, said it's important to have these protests take place in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It's part of our solidarity with Palestinians that are in Gaza, and we have a lot of Palestinian population here as well," Abu-Hendi said. "So it's our duty to help them."

The event began with a number of speeches in Harbourside Park, followed by a march down Water Street. The protesters then gathered outside St. John's city hall for more speeches and then continued to march down Duckworth Street. 

One of the speakers was Zaid Kay, who was born in Newfoundland but is of Palestinian descent. 

"My dream is to explore the olive groves of my ancestors, to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea, to walk with my father through the home he was expelled from in 1967," Kay said.

"My dream is a secular, democratic, multicultural, binational state from the river to the sea where all people live in freedom and equality, no matter their race or religion. My dream is a free Palestine."

Speaking afterward, Kay said people should be focusing on human rights.

"People should be coming together right now and acknowledging that what we're seeing is not right," Kay said. "As a matter of humanity, we have a duty to speak up. And I think if we don't, then our children will never forgive us and we'll live to regret it."

"We hear so much about the right of Israel to exist and to defend itself, which I don't dispute, but I wish there would be more discussion of Palestine's right to exist and defend itself," Kay said.

Saturday's protest was the latest one in St. John's in a string of weekly events since the latest Israel-Hamas war began on Oct 7. At that time, Hamas killed around 1,400 people. Since then, Israel has launched attacks on Gaza with nearly 9,500 Palestinians having been killed by Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.

Despite the heavy emotions surrounding the protest, Thorburn was impressed with the attendance for the event on Saturday.

"This is a historic day for us here in Newfoundland and all across Canada," she said. "These are probably the biggest mass anti-war protests that have taken place in support of Palestine ever in North American history."

"The support is growing," Thorburn said.

"We want peace. We want an end to this violence. We want a ceasefire now."

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