Hundreds in Nanaimo march for a ceasefire in Gaza

Mimi Madrek carries an imitation of a child’s body as she marches through downtown Nanaimo at a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Photo: Mick Sweetman / CHLY 101.7FM.

About 300 people marched through downtown Nanaimo on Saturday, Nov. 4 calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s escalating war against Hamas in Gaza. It was part of a national day of action that saw protests take place in two dozen cities in Canada.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 4,008 children have been killed since the start of Israel’s attack on Gaza following an attack by Hamas into Israel on Oct. 7. The ministry says over 8,000 children have been injured and 1,250 are missing.

On Monday, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said that “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.”

According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed 1,400 Israelis, including 31 children, and over 200 people were captured and are being held prisoner by militants in Gaza.

Mimi Madrek came to Canada as a refugee from Syria in 2016, where she lost two brothers in that country's brutal civil war. She was carrying a mock corpse wrapped in a white sheet with red “blood” spots.

“More than 4,000 kids have been killed in Gaza in less than a month and it's just so sad,” she said. “Those kids have dreams and lives to live.”

Madrek says that she remembers living through airstrikes when she was a child in Syria during that countries civil war.

“We left Syria because of the airstrikes and bombing and we lost my two brothers who died because they couldn't get out,” she said. “I've lost so many family members there. It's still going to this moment and it's really the same thing in Palestine happening.”

Salma Fargalah is from Egypt and was one of the organizers for the protest in Nanaimo.

“We are here today asking for an immediate ceasefire and to end the siege on Gaza,” she said. “And to ask Canada to stop its complicit action towards Israel with supporting it and funding it with weapons. We want this genocide to end, because this is not fair, and enough is enough.”

Zena Kishawi speaks to in front of the office of NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Photo: Mick Sweetman / CHLY 101.7FM.

Lynette Harper, is a second-generation Canadain with roots in Lebanon who was marching caring a home-made sign reading “Stop the genocide.”

“I'm almost 70 years old and throughout that time the Palestinian territories have been occupied,” she said. “There's been violence and so much oppression of the people there.”

The march stopped at the constituency office of NDP Member of Parliament Lisa Marie Barron, who had called for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation earlier in the week.

Zena Kishawi, who is originally from Gaza City, was one of several activists who spoke in front of the office.

“We condemn the Canadian government for failing to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to lift of the siege, to allow humanitarian access, an end to the settler violence and killing in the West Bank, and an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories,” she told the crowd.

Ion Moruso stands in front of NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron’s office in downtown Nanaimo on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Photo: Mick Sweetman / CHLY 101.7FM

Ion Moruso marched wearing a traditional Palestinian scarf called at keffiyeh with a sign reading “Why?” Israeli Apartheid” around his neck.

“This conflict did not start on October 7,” he said. “I think it started 75 years ago. The issue is apartheid. The issue is not borders, the issue is not the conflict. The border and the conflict are the products of apartheid. If there was no apartheid, there would be no conflict.”

Justine Withey is a local human rights activist, says the intensity of the bombing in Gaza is unprecidented.

“It's absolutely atrocious and disgusting and it's unnecessary,” she said. “Let's just be real, they can easily go in and with the intelligence that Israel has, how could they have not known where all the Hamas people are already? Why do they need to blow up all the civilians? It makes no sense to me.”

Karen Devito was on the Canadian Boat to Gaza in 2011 that attempted to deliver medical aid to the besieged territory. The boat was intercepted in international waters by the Israeli Navy where she was arrested and the aid was confiscated.

“I would like to see the Canadian government call for a ceasefire right now,” she said. “In fact, Justin Trudeau almost said it this morning, he said we need to see a cease….humanitarian pause. Please say ceasefire, please say at least this is ethnic cleansing.”

On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Israel’s Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a readout of the call, Trudeau “expressed Canada’s support for Israel and its right to defend itself in accordance with international law, in the face of Hamas’ brutal attacks.”

He also discussed the need to get Canadian citizens out of Gaza and thanked Israel for assurance that Canadians in Gaza would be able to leave in the coming days.

An “emergency protest” to call for a ceasefire in Gaza is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. at Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.