Protest march calls out Canadian government for unclear stance on Israel-Hamas war

Thousands of protesters gathered on Parliament Hill Saturday afternoon, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for the Canadian government to take a firmer stance on the conflict.

The National March on Ottawa, as it's been called, was one of the largest pro-Palestinian rallies to take to the streets of Canada's capital since the war broke out following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Carrying signs and flags and chanting slogans like "Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation's got to go," and the popular-yet-controversial "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," protesters from across the country descended on Parliament Hill.

They later marched through parts of the city's downtown.

The protest comes two days after a parliamentary e-petition urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to demand a ceasefire garnered the most signatures since the petitions began in 2015.

The government now has 45 days to respond. Trudeau has stopped short of explicitly calling for a ceasefire, instead pushing for temporary pauses to the fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

CBC spoke to a few of the people who attended Saturday's protest. Here's some of what they had to say.

Siarah Malik, Windsor, Ont.

Personally, we have family directly back home in Gaza, so we're affected. And a lot of people that I know have direct, immediate family there.

We won't stop [protesting], and we demand a ceasefire.

And we won't stop until we get that, and until our people are safe and able to live in their home and their land like they should be. Just like everybody else has the right to have.

Mo Mourad, Toronto

We are here to tell our government that it's time to stop this madness, stop this genocide, and to take really a stand, call for a ceasefire and end this now.

This is madness. And it's a shame that a great country like Canada that's known for its history, for calling for peace and peacemaking, has been silent all this time.

This [war] is not acceptable. This is beyond the pale, beyond anything you could think of, and it has gone too far ... Our government has the responsibility, the duty and the moral authority to call for a ceasefire.

Bushra Kashif, Ottawa

I think each one of us feels so helpless right now that we're not able to do enough for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

So I think participating in the protest is just one of the few ways that I can make them feel that I feel their pain, and that whatever is in my capacity, I'll do so.

I have no connection with Palestine. I have no family in Palestine. I've never visited Palestine. But because they are my Muslim brothers and sisters, I feel their pain.

Here are some other images from Saturday's rally and march.