Hundreds marched the streets of Halifax on the weekend, joining rallies in other Canadian cities to voice support for residents of Gaza and to demand an immediate ceasefire.
“To have a thousand people out, starting at Victoria Park and walking all the way down the main section of Halifax chanting as a group, it was incredible,” said Chad Bustin, who attended Saturday’s rally.
Bustin headed to the event after hearing about it on social media. The march was organized by a local pro-Palestinian group.
Bustin said among the crowds were people of all ages and backgrounds.
“That march was just an attempt by people — I know it was an attempt by myself — just to show your anger, show your frustration and be with people who agree with you,” he said.
People in other cities, including Montreal, held demonstrations on the weekend to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and demand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau call for an immediate ceasefire.
The soaring death toll in Gaza has sparked growing international anger, with tens of thousands from Washington to Berlin taking to the streets Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire. The month-long conflict has already killed more than 9,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Some 1,400 Israelis have died, mostly civilians killed in the brutal Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the conflict. Both tolls are unprecedented in decades of fighting.
In Nova Scotia, the president of the Atlantic Jewish Council, Mark David, said people have the right to peacefully protest, but said from what he has seen, it hasn’t always been peaceful.
“Many of these demonstrations, in our view, cross over when people call for the eradication of the state of Israel. That crosses a line,” David said.
“There’s other things that are said that we think crosses the line, and that’s happening in Canada. And to some degree, it’s happening here.”
David said the Jewish community in Nova Scotia has grown over the years. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel nearly a month ago, safety concerns have risen locally, he added.
“Unfortunately, now many people feel that they’re not in a position to express their Jewish identity outwardly. And that’s not the Halifax that I grew up in,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bustin said there was no antisemitic rhetoric spewed at any point in the protest on Saturday in Halifax.
“There was no antisemitic talk at this protest, at this march. It was very family-friendly, but it’s … people are angry, but this isn’t about antisemitism.”
— with files from The Associated Press