As Canada continues to ship arms to Israel, despite a supposed arms embargo, human rights advocates in Vancouver host a vigil and rally for martyred journalists
Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists is a war crime, yet Canada refuses to sever ties and continues to materially support the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (Vancouver, BC) – Journalists, Palestinian community members, and press freedom advocates will gather on Monday, August 11 at CBC Vancouver for an emergency vigil and rally to mourn five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza on August 10: Anas Al Sharif, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. The rally will denounce Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists, the genocide in Gaza, and the complicity of the Canadian government as they continue to allow weapons shipments to Israel.
Since October 7, over 220 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza — the deadliest war for journalists in modern history. In an attempt to silence the Palestinian people and keep their crimes from being shown to the world, Israel has repeatedly targeted clearly marked press crews and media offices, a policy that has been condemned by press freedom organizations worldwide as deliberate war crimes.
Up until very recently, reporting by Canadian and other western media outlets critical of Israel has been fairly underwhelming, however last week, in a bombshell report by World BEYOND War Canada and Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians learned the government has been lying about an arms embargo on Israel, the report outlining hundreds of shipments of military equipment and other munitions landing in Israel after being manufactured here in Canada.
“While the Canadian government responds with bureaucratic spin to evidence of hundreds of weapons shipments from Canada to Israel, the Israeli military is systematically murdering every single journalist in Gaza to hide the escalating horrors of their genocide,” said Rachel Small with World BEYOND War, one of the report authors. “No government lies can clean the blood off those shipping records. Canada must stop arming Israel’s attacks once and for all by imposing an immediate arms embargo.”
The rally calls on Canadian media outlets and journalists to condemn the systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza and for all political representatives to apply pressure on the federal government to impose an immediate two way arms embargo.
“Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation building in Vancouver to express their solidarity with the Al Jazeera journalists who were assassinated. They condemned the targeting of journalists and rejected the complicity of Canadian radio and television in failing to cover events in Gaza. The crowd then set off on a march through the city’s streets, chanting in support of Gaza and denouncing the targeting of journalists.” Source: Al Jazeera
WHAT: Emergency rally, march and speeches
WHO:
- Current and former Canadian journalists
- Palestinian community members and concerned citizens
- Press freedom and human rights advocates
WHEN: Monday, August 11, 4:00 PM
WHERE: CBC Vancouver Headquarters, 700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)
Media contact: Hamza Media Collective, [email protected]
Visual: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNMcV2UhGCZ/
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