A small group called “Canadians against genocide” used the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa as a dramatic backdrop to their call to all Canadians, and to the Canadian government, to take action to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa provided a fitting backdrop for a small group of Canadians called “Canadians against Genocide” to call on Canadians to remember that Canada looked shamefully away while Nazi Germany inflicted a genocide on European Jews in what is now called The Holocaust. The Monument is a project of the taxpayer-funded National Capital Commission

Remember the Holocaust!

“The Monument reminds all Canadians of a shameful period in our history when Canada stood by and did nothing while Nazis were murdering millions of Jews and others. Neither that genocide, nor Canada’s complicity in it, should ever be forgotten.“, read the Canadians against Genocide press release.

Never again!

The group appealed to Canadians to “NEVER AGAIN” allow a genocide to take place with our complicity. At the opening ceremony of the Memorial in 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said “May this monument remind us to always open our arms and our hearts to those in need.”  We are responding to Prime Minister Trudeau’s call.We are calling on all Canadians and the Government of Canada to intervene forcefully to oppose a present-day genocide that is taking place in full view.

End the genocide in Gaza!

Today, the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are in desperate need. Since the signing of a ceasefire 9 months ago, Israel has continued to bomb, shoot and limit food and medical supplies, killing over 1000 people according to UN statistics. According to many UN agencies, human rights organizations and genocide scholars, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Canada should take action!

The group prepared a press release outlining their objectives and calling on the Canadian government to:

• Stop all military sales, direct and indirect, to and from Israel
• Support the International Criminal Court in bringing Israeli leaders to trial
• Declare that Israel is committing “genocide”
• Cancel our Free Trade Agreement with Israel

The full text of the Press Release can be found HERE

Why choose this location to demonstrate?

Why did we choose the National Holocaust Monument? The Holocaust Monument is a federal government project mostly funded by Canadian taxpayers. It should serve as an important reminder to Canadians that we should learn from our experiences.

There are lots of good spots in Ottawa we might have chosen to demonstrate against Israel’s genocide and Canadian complicity. In a 3 minute video, spokesperson Peter Larson explains why we chose this specific spot for our demonstration. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3vknVMdC2I

Canada Talks Israel Palestine is the biweekly newsletter of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion about the Israel/Palestine issue from a Canadian perspective. Readers are invited to make comment. To get on our regular mailing list, or to get notices about our monthly webinars with experts from around the world, write: ofip.chair@gmail.com.