About 100 people in Fredericton gathered in solidarity with Gaza over the noon hour on Saturday, November 24th. The rally was part of Canada-wide weekend events in solidarity with Gaza. The rallies brought together people horrified by Israel’s latest assault on Gaza that left 164 people dead, including 50 children, and over 1,200 injured.
Ruth Breen with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers described life in Palestine based on her recent visit there with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. She relayed the importance of labour support in international solidarity struggles and called for support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign against Israel.
Samira Farhoud, a survivor of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Beiruit, Lebanon, and a St. Thomas University professor and researcher on the Middle East and North Africa, spoke on how Israeli aggression affects the lives of Palestinians and others.
Jeff Brown, a UNB History Professor, spoke of the brutality of the Israeli Defence Forces and the complicity of Canada, the U.S. and the European Union.
Naveed Majid, spokesperson for the Fredericton Islamic Association, spoke of the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere and in particular on the effects of Israeli aggression on children.
Abdelhaq Hamza, a physics professor at the University of New Brunswick, compared the struggle of Palestinians to the anti-colonial struggles in Algeria.
Esam Ghanem, a Palestinian man living in Fredericton, spoke of families and communities torn apart, and urged people here to support the BDS movement.
Many people carried homemade signs announcing their support for the people of Gaza.
The rally was organized by Fredericton Palestine Solidarity, Jews for a Just Peace Fredericton and the Fredericton Peace Coalition.
Palestine solidarity activists are closely monitoring the current ceasefire.
According to Gaza’s Ark, the ability of fishermen to fish in their full territorial waters, farmers to access their land and businesses to export is part of the monitoring and solidarity work. “It’s important to remember that to achieve a lasting, just peace, the blockade of Gaza must end, completely and permanently, so that Palestinians can rebuild the vibrant export economy they once enjoyed,” writes Gaza’s Ark.
Gaza’s Ark produced this video of a Gazan farmer who is hoping to export his produce in the wake of the recent ceasefire agreement.
Jack Gegenberg and Tracy Glynn are Fredericton-based activists.