The Israeli invasion on the Gaza Strip commenced on Oct. 27, 2023. On Oct. 13, the multi-organization run All-Out for Gaza rally took place in Uptown Waterloo town square. Rally attendees also lead a march around the King St. block of businesses. It commemorated the first anniversary of the current genocide in Palestine.
The All Out for Gaza rally series is one of the many efforts by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), an independent, grassroots organization of young Palestinians in Palestine and around the world.
Their All Out for Gaza rallies are run worldwide, and the rally on Oct. 13 was Waterloo Region’s participation in the event.
“It has to stop now. And in the words of the great, late Richard Wagamese, ‘you cannot say that you didn’t hear these stories. You cannot say that you don’t know’,” Amy Smoke, local Indigenous activist and speaker at the rally, said.
When the genocide began, the PYM, GroundUp WR and Fightback Waterloo held a rally in Uptown’s Town Square to call for a ceasefire, and for the end of the Canadian government’s complacency.
Since October 2023, the destruction in Gaza includes at least 360,000 homes, 392 educational facilities, and 267 places for worship. Seventeen hospitals remain partially functional and 83 per cent of groundwater wells are not operational.
There were multiple Palestinian speakers who shared their experience witnessing the genocide from Waterloo Region over the internet. They also expressed their concerns over the censorship of Palestinian voices in Ontario.
When the University of Waterloo launched a lawsuit against the participants of a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on campus in July this year, many who are pro-Palestine felt they were not able to freely speak out on the issue in the region.
“Today, the Palestinian people commemorate the liberation of the people of Kathak from an open-air prison, celebrating their courage and demand for justice,” a speaker at the rally who wished to remain anonymous said.
Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 Israel has imposed a food blockade against Gaza. The ramifications of the genocide have been felt across the region.
On Oct. 8, the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) announced the results of the responsible partnerships referendum—83.9 per cent of the University of Waterloo student body voted “Yes” to UW severing its partnership with Technion due to its involvement with the technology used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). During the rally, the crowd demanded justice for the thousands of martyrs created since the start of the occupation.
“What are we going to say to our children next year when we’re commemorating another year of violence, not just on these lands, but in other lands?” Smoke asked.
The PYM in partnership with organizations such as Fight Back KW and Friends of Palestine Waterloo Region will continue to host rallies around the region until a ceasefire is reached.
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