The demonstrations and advocacy campaigns for the Palestinian cause have surged in many cities across Canada, following the recent events in Gaza City, despite the strict government ban on anything related to supporting the Palestinian cause or condemning Israeli assaults on Palestinians.

Many major cities in Canada, led by the capital Ottawa, witnessed massive demonstrations organized by Canadians of Palestinian descent, which received significant interaction and attendance from the Arab and Islamic communities, as well as varying degrees of sympathy from other communities, who view the Palestinian cause as a just liberation issue according to international law and human rights charters.

The events in Gaza have drawn considerable engagement and an unprecedented wave of attention from the Canadian public at all levels, despite government warnings against the illegality of demonstrations or publications supporting the Palestinian cause, as advocating for the events in Gaza would naturally mean support for the Palestinian resistance movement "Hamas," which is classified as a terrorist organization in Canada, in addition to pro-Palestinian rhetoric being categorized as hate speech and incitement to violence against the Jewish community in Canada.

Canada has treated the current events in Gaza as if they were a local Canadian issue, given the extensive coverage they received in government, opposition, and private media, and the in-depth reporting they enjoyed, due to the large presence of both Jewish and Palestinian communities in Canada, and the necessity to prevent any incidents or acts of violence resulting from the ramifications of the events in Palestinian Gaza.
Despite the Canadian government's attempt to portray equality in dealing with the rights of its citizens of Palestinian descent, alongside their Jewish Canadian counterparts, who have all been affected by the current events in Gaza, the political rhetoric from both the government and the opposition appeared to be clearly unfair and unjust in the current events, as it openly and explicitly sided with Israel, which it considered to be confronting acts of terrorism, while turning a blind eye to the comprehensive and destructive Israeli bombardment of civilian objects and the deliberate killing of Palestinian civilians.

Organized Campaigns of Hostility

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and many leaders of his Liberal Party, as well as opposition party leaders, have explicitly declared their support for the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in a manner that contradicts even diplomatic standards of neutrality in any conflict between outside parties, let alone between parties that have extensions and a significant presence in the Canadian social fabric.

Trudeau stated in several speeches and tweets on his social media accounts, "Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas's attack against Israel - and we stand united with the Israeli people." He clarified, "This was the message I shared with the Jewish community in Ottawa and with everyone at the solidarity gathering for Israel yesterday."

In his strong opposition to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Canada, Trudeau stated, "The glorification of violence is entirely unacceptable in Canada – by any group or in any circumstance. I strongly condemn the demonstrations that have taken place, and that are taking place, across the country in support of Hamas's attacks on Israel; let us stand united against terrorism."

He added, "I gathered ministers and officials together in a meeting of the incident response group, where we discussed the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, our concern for civilian lives, and our commitment to coordinating efforts with global partners."

For the first time, the position of Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre aligned with that of the Prime Minister, as he stated regarding the events in Gaza, "There is no place for the glorification of terrorism in Canada or anywhere else. The killing and rape of innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas is despicable. The Conservative Party condemns manifestations of hate and justifications of cruelty that followed the terrorist attacks against Israel."

The Canadian political landscape has been in a frenzy since the onset of the current events in Gaza, with organized campaigns of hostility against anything Palestinian, Arab, or Islamic, to the extent that wearing the Palestinian scarf or keffiyeh in any public place could lead to an attack on the wearer, displaying support or advocacy for Israel.

Many government entities, especially public schools, issued directives or recommendations against wearing slogans or symbols that indicate the wearer's ethnic or religious identity in order to avoid being harmed by opposing parties influenced by the frenzy of events in Gaza.

In an unprecedented move, Air Canada fired Palestinian-Canadian pilot Mustafa Azzo for wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh and participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration last week in Ottawa and posting his photos on social media.

Air Canada stated in its tweets, "We are aware of the unacceptable participation by a pilot at Air Canada. We take this matter seriously, and he was suspended from duty on Monday, October 9. We strongly condemn violence in all its forms." It added, "We can confirm that the pilot in question is no longer employed by Air Canada, following the operation that began on Monday."
The media loses its professionalism

Amid this general political trend, Canadian government and community media have lost their professionalism by fully siding with the Israeli side at the expense of the rights of civilian victims from Palestinians who fell in front of the cameras and the eyes and ears of the world’s media, potentially outnumbering those killed among Israelis, most of whom are believed to be military personnel and fell in military sites.

Despite government pressures, the position of Canadian police was somewhat objective, as they announced that they had raised their utmost readiness to protect all religious and ethnic facilities in areas where Israeli, Palestinian, and Muslim communities exist to safeguard them from any potential assault, and called on all parties to report any threats or hate speech that may harm them, ensuring that they treat all Canadians equally regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.

The Ottawa Police Service stated in a statement, "We still see peaceful gatherings of residents and we will be there to protect individuals and their rights." Clarifying that there is no tolerance for hate incidents or crimes in Ottawa. It noted that the Canadian society is diverse, and it is important in such times to know that the police are here to support the safety of everyone.

For its part, the Canadian Islamic Council, an active council composed of a group of lawyers and activists, expressed in a statement its regret over receiving numerous reports that fall under hate speech or incitement to violence against Canadians of Palestinian descent or from Islamic backgrounds, urging the government strongly to maintain neutrality in such positions that may threaten social peace.