Pro-Palestinian march in Mississauga calls for end of violence against people of Gaza

Thousands gathered and marched in Mississauga as part of a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Saturday.

The rally, organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, saw supporters march down Burnhamthorpe Road and through Mississauga City Centre chanting “Palestine will be free” while calling for a de-escalation of violence against the people of Gaza.

“We’re here to uplift our people’s cause, we’re here to call for an end of the seize on Gaza,” said Shatha Mahmoud, one of the event organizers, who added she is concerned for family in the southern town of Rafah.

The besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water after Israel cut off water and electricity to the enclave as it intensifies its air attacks in response to a bloody Hamas attack last week.

A planeload of World Health Organization supplies landed in Egypt and is destined for Gaza when humanitarian access across the border is possible, the U.N. said Saturday.

U.N. agencies and aid groups are beseeching Israel to permit the delivery of the emergency supplies into the Gaza Strip with the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency saying if fuel and water don’t arrive soon, “people will start dying of severe dehydration.”

“This is the sixth bombing campaign Rafah has gone through in the past 16 years. They’ve deployed 3,000 missiles in seven days,” said Mahmoud.

A similar rally is planned for outside Hamilton City Hall on Sunday.

Saturday’s rally comes at a time of general unease as police forces across the GTA have increased their presence outside religious institutions.

A few days after Toronto City Council passed a motion condemning all forms of hate, Mayor Olivia Chow affirmed her commitment Saturday as the city continues to reel in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“I understand there is a lot of anguish, anger and emotional trauma but this is the time for us to be empathetic, to support each other and say no to hate,” said Chow.

The motion passed included antisemitism and Islamophobia in its definition of hate. City council has also asked the police services board to establish “community safe zones” across the city.