They dont get named unti after.
How many day cares ,schools, hospitals, long term senior centers, libraries and synagogues did they hit? Or they spared civilians?
Hamas attacks Israel
- Thread starter Serryah
- Start date
Leadership failure at Toronto Police since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Oct 02, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Thanks to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw’s complete lack of leadership, Toronto’s Jewish community feels under threat
Police in Toronto and York Region plan on having an increased presence this weekend to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. It is a sad statement on the country that police feel the need to increase patrols ahead of the anniversary of a terrorist attack.
Still, Toronto’s police chief, Myron Demkiw, gave himself and his police service top marks for their performance over the last year despite all evidence to the contrary. Thanks to Demkiw’s complete lack of leadership, Toronto’s Jewish community feels under threat one year after the Oct. 7 attacks and the people supporting the terror groups attacking Israel feel emboldened.
Of course, this year, the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks comes as the Jewish community marks Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Why should members of the Jewish community, or any community in our country, feel that they are not safe to mark their religious holidays? Why should the Jewish community need to feel that they need extra security as they celebrate their holidays or mark the anniversary of a horrific terrorist attack?
The real answer is that they shouldn’t need extra security; they should feel safe to celebrate their holidays, and they should be embraced by all of us as they mark this dark day.
Sadly, that isn’t the case.
A year ago, Hamas, backed by Iran, launched a horrific terrorist attack on Israel. Since then, Iran’s other proxies in Hezbollah — based in Lebanon — and the Houthis – based in Yemen — have also attacked the only Jewish state in the world and the only democracy in the Middle East.
Here at home, supporters of these terrorist regimes have been marching and “protesting” since Oct. 7, 2023, under the guise of what most of my media colleagues call “pro-Palestinian” protesters. This is nothing short of a lie because all you have to do is pay attention to their chants, their songs, their slogans, and their signs to realize that they have been pro-Hamas since last October.
In the last few months, the protests have included people who back the Houthi terrorist regime, the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the Islamic Republic or Iran — the funder of all these groups.
Yet, few arrests have been made, at least not in public, as these protestors have shown full support for terrorist groups.
“Since Oct. 7, Toronto Police have made 72 protest-related arrests,” Demkiw said during a Wednesday morning news conference.
Demkiw also noted that during the last year, his police force has attended some 1,500 events related to the conflict in the Middle East. Let’s be honest and clear: Most of them have been protests against Israel and in support of Hamas, or Hezbollah or Iran.
The threat to public safety does not come from Toronto’s Jewish community, but rather those who want to do them harm.
Demkiw attempted to claim that Toronto Police have done a great job over the last year since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. Facts would present a different story, including Demkiw’s officers delivering coffee and doughnuts to protesters on an Avenue Rd. bridge or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official dinner with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni being shut down due to his incompetence and lack of planning.
“I appreciate your perspective, Brian,” Chief Demkiw said when I asked him about his record over the last year.
In fact, he didn’t appreciate my perspective that under his leadership, TPS has failed.
“I believe that our members have done an incredible job keeping our city safe during what has been a very challenging time for our communities,” Demkiw said.
Leadership starts at the top and on this issue, the Toronto Police Service have no leadership. Demkiw has been weak on this issue for the last year, that isn’t about to change.
If he isn’t willing to lead the Toronto Police Service to deal with the open support for terrorism on our streets, then he should step aside for someone who will. That’s the challenge, do the job or get out of the way for someone who will.
What’s it going to be, Myron?
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Oct 02, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Thanks to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw’s complete lack of leadership, Toronto’s Jewish community feels under threat
Police in Toronto and York Region plan on having an increased presence this weekend to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. It is a sad statement on the country that police feel the need to increase patrols ahead of the anniversary of a terrorist attack.
Still, Toronto’s police chief, Myron Demkiw, gave himself and his police service top marks for their performance over the last year despite all evidence to the contrary. Thanks to Demkiw’s complete lack of leadership, Toronto’s Jewish community feels under threat one year after the Oct. 7 attacks and the people supporting the terror groups attacking Israel feel emboldened.
Of course, this year, the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks comes as the Jewish community marks Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Why should members of the Jewish community, or any community in our country, feel that they are not safe to mark their religious holidays? Why should the Jewish community need to feel that they need extra security as they celebrate their holidays or mark the anniversary of a horrific terrorist attack?
The real answer is that they shouldn’t need extra security; they should feel safe to celebrate their holidays, and they should be embraced by all of us as they mark this dark day.
Sadly, that isn’t the case.
A year ago, Hamas, backed by Iran, launched a horrific terrorist attack on Israel. Since then, Iran’s other proxies in Hezbollah — based in Lebanon — and the Houthis – based in Yemen — have also attacked the only Jewish state in the world and the only democracy in the Middle East.
Here at home, supporters of these terrorist regimes have been marching and “protesting” since Oct. 7, 2023, under the guise of what most of my media colleagues call “pro-Palestinian” protesters. This is nothing short of a lie because all you have to do is pay attention to their chants, their songs, their slogans, and their signs to realize that they have been pro-Hamas since last October.
In the last few months, the protests have included people who back the Houthi terrorist regime, the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the Islamic Republic or Iran — the funder of all these groups.
Yet, few arrests have been made, at least not in public, as these protestors have shown full support for terrorist groups.
“Since Oct. 7, Toronto Police have made 72 protest-related arrests,” Demkiw said during a Wednesday morning news conference.
Demkiw also noted that during the last year, his police force has attended some 1,500 events related to the conflict in the Middle East. Let’s be honest and clear: Most of them have been protests against Israel and in support of Hamas, or Hezbollah or Iran.
The threat to public safety does not come from Toronto’s Jewish community, but rather those who want to do them harm.
Demkiw attempted to claim that Toronto Police have done a great job over the last year since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. Facts would present a different story, including Demkiw’s officers delivering coffee and doughnuts to protesters on an Avenue Rd. bridge or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official dinner with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni being shut down due to his incompetence and lack of planning.
“I appreciate your perspective, Brian,” Chief Demkiw said when I asked him about his record over the last year.
In fact, he didn’t appreciate my perspective that under his leadership, TPS has failed.
“I believe that our members have done an incredible job keeping our city safe during what has been a very challenging time for our communities,” Demkiw said.
Leadership starts at the top and on this issue, the Toronto Police Service have no leadership. Demkiw has been weak on this issue for the last year, that isn’t about to change.
If he isn’t willing to lead the Toronto Police Service to deal with the open support for terrorism on our streets, then he should step aside for someone who will. That’s the challenge, do the job or get out of the way for someone who will.
What’s it going to be, Myron?
LILLEY: Leadership failure at Toronto Police since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack
Thanks to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw’s complete lack of leadership, Toronto’s Jewish community feels under threat.
Windsor mosque honours slain Hezbollah leader, sparking online outrage
Author of the article:Millar Holmes-Hill
Published Oct 03, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
Hundreds attended a commemorative gathering there on Sunday for slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hundreds attended a commemorative gathering there on Sunday for slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
A well-attended gathering at a Windsor mosque on Sunday to celebrate the slain leader of Hezbollah — listed by Canada and other countries as a terrorist group — has sparked online outrage.
“We don’t believe Hassan Nasrallah is a terrorist,” said Hussein Dabaja, a co-organizer of the Windsor gathering and a Lebanese-born Hezbollah supporter.
“He gave us freedom in 2000 against Israeli occupation. We are proud. We are his community.”
Nasrallah, 64, was targeted and killed in an Israel Defense Forces air strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut last Friday.
The announcement of his death triggered tears and life celebrations across the Arab world, pointing to the widespread reach and influence of a man who has been at the forefront of Middle Eastern politics for decades.
“Our government has listed Hezbollah as a terrorist. We do not agree with that,” Dabaja told the Star. “Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah freedom-fighting.”
In a since-deleted post, the Ahlulbayt Youth Collective advertised Sunday’s majlis (special gathering) at the Ahlul Bayt Mosque, 1065 Wyandotte St. E., “to commemorate the martyrdom” of Nasrallah, on its Instagram and Facebook accounts.
The event attracted hundreds of people to the mosque, according to Dabaja, who is a Canadian citizen.
“People come,” Dabaja said. “People sad, crying, and they say they’ll never forget Hassan Nasrallah and what he did for us.”
Richard Marceau, vice-president and general counsel of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, shared a screenshot of the post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing concern over growing support for Hezbollah.
“When I tell you there is support for Hezbollah — a terrorist organization in Canadian law: there will be a commemorate event for Hassan Nasrallah in a Windsor mosque,” the post read.
The Windsor event glorified terrorism, Marceau told the Star on Wednesday: “This man banned or stood for everything that’s anti-ethical to Canadian values.
“It blows my mind that a house of worship would want to honour this person. We let the police know because this is glorification of terrorism.” Marceau also tagged federal Public Safety Minister Domenic LeBlanc on his post.
City police told the Star they were aware that an event took place at the mosque on Sunday. Gary Francoeur, director of corporate communications for the Windsor Police Service, said police were not made aware of any protests or demonstrations that occurred at the location.
Nasrallah’s death is not the first time Israel has killed a leader of Hezbollah. Nasrallah took over from Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.
However, today’s Hezbollah — which stands for ‘Party of God’ — is very different from the ragtag organization it was in the 1990s. In recent years, the organization has presided over an army-like group estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters and a sophisticated arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of reaching anywhere inside Israel.
“Hezbollah is the most deadly terrorist organization in the world,” said Warren Kinsella, founder of Facts Matter, a group of people who fight antisemitism in Canada.
“There has been no other terrorist group that has been as successful at killing people as Hezbollah,” he told the Star.
“When it comes to killing human beings, no mosque, no church, no person should be celebrating that.”
— With files from the Associated Press
mholmeshill@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Millar Holmes-Hill
Published Oct 03, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
Hundreds attended a commemorative gathering there on Sunday for slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hundreds attended a commemorative gathering there on Sunday for slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
A well-attended gathering at a Windsor mosque on Sunday to celebrate the slain leader of Hezbollah — listed by Canada and other countries as a terrorist group — has sparked online outrage.
“We don’t believe Hassan Nasrallah is a terrorist,” said Hussein Dabaja, a co-organizer of the Windsor gathering and a Lebanese-born Hezbollah supporter.
“He gave us freedom in 2000 against Israeli occupation. We are proud. We are his community.”
Nasrallah, 64, was targeted and killed in an Israel Defense Forces air strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut last Friday.
The announcement of his death triggered tears and life celebrations across the Arab world, pointing to the widespread reach and influence of a man who has been at the forefront of Middle Eastern politics for decades.
“Our government has listed Hezbollah as a terrorist. We do not agree with that,” Dabaja told the Star. “Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah freedom-fighting.”
In a since-deleted post, the Ahlulbayt Youth Collective advertised Sunday’s majlis (special gathering) at the Ahlul Bayt Mosque, 1065 Wyandotte St. E., “to commemorate the martyrdom” of Nasrallah, on its Instagram and Facebook accounts.
The event attracted hundreds of people to the mosque, according to Dabaja, who is a Canadian citizen.
“People come,” Dabaja said. “People sad, crying, and they say they’ll never forget Hassan Nasrallah and what he did for us.”
Richard Marceau, vice-president and general counsel of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, shared a screenshot of the post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing concern over growing support for Hezbollah.
“When I tell you there is support for Hezbollah — a terrorist organization in Canadian law: there will be a commemorate event for Hassan Nasrallah in a Windsor mosque,” the post read.
The Windsor event glorified terrorism, Marceau told the Star on Wednesday: “This man banned or stood for everything that’s anti-ethical to Canadian values.
“It blows my mind that a house of worship would want to honour this person. We let the police know because this is glorification of terrorism.” Marceau also tagged federal Public Safety Minister Domenic LeBlanc on his post.
City police told the Star they were aware that an event took place at the mosque on Sunday. Gary Francoeur, director of corporate communications for the Windsor Police Service, said police were not made aware of any protests or demonstrations that occurred at the location.
Nasrallah’s death is not the first time Israel has killed a leader of Hezbollah. Nasrallah took over from Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.
However, today’s Hezbollah — which stands for ‘Party of God’ — is very different from the ragtag organization it was in the 1990s. In recent years, the organization has presided over an army-like group estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters and a sophisticated arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of reaching anywhere inside Israel.
“Hezbollah is the most deadly terrorist organization in the world,” said Warren Kinsella, founder of Facts Matter, a group of people who fight antisemitism in Canada.
“There has been no other terrorist group that has been as successful at killing people as Hezbollah,” he told the Star.
“When it comes to killing human beings, no mosque, no church, no person should be celebrating that.”
— With files from the Associated Press
mholmeshill@postmedia.com
Windsor mosque honours slain Hezbollah leader, sparking online outrage
Windsor mosque gathering to honour slain Hezbollah leader sparks online outrage
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world on Saturday demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East as the start of Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary.
About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands also gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City. Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting U.S. support for its ally Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
The latest bloodshed in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in a “Fuck Around & Find Out” situation when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. It has also displaced nearly all of the enclave's 2.3 million people, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
"Unfortunately, in spite of all our good will, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and in Yemen, and also probably in Iran," said protestor Agnes Kory in London?
(Second one ‘So Far’ this week…)
Advocates have raised concerns over alarming antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric in some protests and counter-protests related to the conflict. Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against Muslims and Jews around the world.
The war in Gaza has spread through the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign in recent weeks in Lebanon in response to almost a year of rocket & missile attacks that has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million. Israel says it is attempting to dismantle Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
apple.news
Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week to which Israel has not yet responded. Israeli operations have also escalated in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and Washington says it supports Israel's right to self-defence.
Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel a few days ago. It was a combination of the superior capability of the IDF and sheer luck that none of them caused any damage and there were no casualties. But Canada’s Liberals Gov’t Joly doesn’t think Israel should retaliate. … Why, pray tell?
The Liberal government’s track record of supporting Israel in its existential fight for survival is hardly stellar. When an errant rocket fired by Hamas terrorists hit the parking lot of the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Joly wasted no time in condemning Israel for the explosion. It was proven very quickly that it was not an Israeli rocket that caused the mishap. Yet even with all the evidence, nearly one year later, Israel is still waiting for an apology and a retraction from Trudeau and Joly, which will never come.
And then of course, egged on by NDP MP Heather McPherson, Joly stopped all Canadian arms shipments to Israel last winter. Just three weeks ago, McPherson took time away from her latest project of manufacturing a Palestinian state out of thin air, to further spur Joly to ensure that no arms from Canada reached Israel via the U.S.
Given this abysmal history, does the foreign minister seriously believe for one moment that anything that comes out of her mouth will have any traction with Israel?
apple.news
About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands also gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City. Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting U.S. support for its ally Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
The latest bloodshed in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in a “Fuck Around & Find Out” situation when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. It has also displaced nearly all of the enclave's 2.3 million people, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
"Unfortunately, in spite of all our good will, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and in Yemen, and also probably in Iran," said protestor Agnes Kory in London?
(Second one ‘So Far’ this week…)
Advocates have raised concerns over alarming antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric in some protests and counter-protests related to the conflict. Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against Muslims and Jews around the world.
The war in Gaza has spread through the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign in recent weeks in Lebanon in response to almost a year of rocket & missile attacks that has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million. Israel says it is attempting to dismantle Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Thousands around the world protest Middle East war as Oct 7 anniversary nears — Reuters
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world on Saturday demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and Washington says it supports Israel's right to self-defence.
Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel a few days ago. It was a combination of the superior capability of the IDF and sheer luck that none of them caused any damage and there were no casualties. But Canada’s Liberals Gov’t Joly doesn’t think Israel should retaliate. … Why, pray tell?
The Liberal government’s track record of supporting Israel in its existential fight for survival is hardly stellar. When an errant rocket fired by Hamas terrorists hit the parking lot of the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Joly wasted no time in condemning Israel for the explosion. It was proven very quickly that it was not an Israeli rocket that caused the mishap. Yet even with all the evidence, nearly one year later, Israel is still waiting for an apology and a retraction from Trudeau and Joly, which will never come.
And then of course, egged on by NDP MP Heather McPherson, Joly stopped all Canadian arms shipments to Israel last winter. Just three weeks ago, McPherson took time away from her latest project of manufacturing a Palestinian state out of thin air, to further spur Joly to ensure that no arms from Canada reached Israel via the U.S.
Given this abysmal history, does the foreign minister seriously believe for one moment that anything that comes out of her mouth will have any traction with Israel?
Letters: 'What planet is Mélanie Joly living on?' — National Post
Readers assail Liberals' track record on Israel and antisemitism, express hope in the war on woke, warn of a 'post-truth world,' and more
Happy Anniversary!
Maybe just maybe it has something to do with the JKK at the helm of Israel?
Maybe just maybe it has something to do with the JKK at the helm of Israel?
I did have a plan but was too windy to tiger torch grasses and weeds along the fence line.
Hate crime charges for alleged Hezbollah flag wavers at Toronto anti-Israel protest
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Oct 03, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read
Two GTA men face hate crime charges after allegedly waving flags belonging to a terror group at last week’s Toronto anti-Israel protest.
According to Toronto Police, two men were spotted waving flags belonging to Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror organization currently at war with Israel.
The two men were reportedly told by officers to stop waving the flags, as they threatened to disrupt public peace, but police say the men ignored the warnings.
Concern over the size of the crowd prompted police to disengage, but the investigation apparently continued.
On Wednesday, police arrested Ahmad Sheikhani, of Oakville, and Hamad Khalid Menshed, of Mississauga, and charged them with public incitement of hatred.
Both men are 34 years old, and scheduled to next appear in court on Nov. 14.
Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government.
“Our expanded Hate Crime Unit continues to investigate every reported instance of hate, including the presence of flags that promote terrorist organizations, as identified by Public Safety Canada,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw in a statement.
“Charges can be laid at any time — whether it’s hours, days, or even weeks after an incident, including those that take place at demonstrations.”
Police have come under intense scrutiny for an ostensibly permissive atmosphere surrounding the spike in public hatred and anti-Semitism in the city since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Most prominent were officers delivering coffee to anti-Israel demonstrators occupying the Avenue Rd. overpass at Hwy. 401.
As well, Demkiw said during a press conference on Wednesday that police have only made 72 protest-related arrested over the past year.
Flags of terror organizations have made regular appearances at these protests, alongside the antisemitic and anti-Israel signs and slogans that have become commonplace.
Police used Wednesday’s press conference to outline their plans to keep Toronto’s Jewish community safe, as anti-Israel activists plan to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks with celebrations and demonstrations.
Jaime Kirzner-Roberts of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre told the Toronto Sun she’s glad police finally took action.
“We’re really pleased to see TPS move forward and lay charges in connection with some of the outrageous events that took place over the weekend,” she said.
“We saw a flagrant celebration of a horrifically violent terror organization.”
She said she’s hopeful this will mark the beginning of Toronto Police finally cracking down.
“We all want to live in a country where we can speak what’s on our mind, and share our opinions in the public square, even if we all don’t agree,” she said.
“What we’re seeing now are organized efforts to promote terrorist rhetoric and activities. We’ve seen too many examples over the last few months of Canadians who have become radicalized.
“There needs to be a very clear line drawn.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Oct 03, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read
Two GTA men face hate crime charges after allegedly waving flags belonging to a terror group at last week’s Toronto anti-Israel protest.
According to Toronto Police, two men were spotted waving flags belonging to Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror organization currently at war with Israel.
The two men were reportedly told by officers to stop waving the flags, as they threatened to disrupt public peace, but police say the men ignored the warnings.
Concern over the size of the crowd prompted police to disengage, but the investigation apparently continued.
On Wednesday, police arrested Ahmad Sheikhani, of Oakville, and Hamad Khalid Menshed, of Mississauga, and charged them with public incitement of hatred.
Both men are 34 years old, and scheduled to next appear in court on Nov. 14.
Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government.
“Our expanded Hate Crime Unit continues to investigate every reported instance of hate, including the presence of flags that promote terrorist organizations, as identified by Public Safety Canada,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw in a statement.
“Charges can be laid at any time — whether it’s hours, days, or even weeks after an incident, including those that take place at demonstrations.”
Police have come under intense scrutiny for an ostensibly permissive atmosphere surrounding the spike in public hatred and anti-Semitism in the city since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Most prominent were officers delivering coffee to anti-Israel demonstrators occupying the Avenue Rd. overpass at Hwy. 401.
As well, Demkiw said during a press conference on Wednesday that police have only made 72 protest-related arrested over the past year.
Flags of terror organizations have made regular appearances at these protests, alongside the antisemitic and anti-Israel signs and slogans that have become commonplace.
Police used Wednesday’s press conference to outline their plans to keep Toronto’s Jewish community safe, as anti-Israel activists plan to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks with celebrations and demonstrations.
Jaime Kirzner-Roberts of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre told the Toronto Sun she’s glad police finally took action.
“We’re really pleased to see TPS move forward and lay charges in connection with some of the outrageous events that took place over the weekend,” she said.
“We saw a flagrant celebration of a horrifically violent terror organization.”
She said she’s hopeful this will mark the beginning of Toronto Police finally cracking down.
“We all want to live in a country where we can speak what’s on our mind, and share our opinions in the public square, even if we all don’t agree,” she said.
“What we’re seeing now are organized efforts to promote terrorist rhetoric and activities. We’ve seen too many examples over the last few months of Canadians who have become radicalized.
“There needs to be a very clear line drawn.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
Hate crime charges for alleged Hezbollah flag wavers at Toronto anti-Israel protest
Ahmad Sheikhani, of Oakville, and Hamad Khalid Menshed, of Mississauga — both 34 — face public incitement of hatred charges.
Terror supporters show their true colours in Toronto
Anniversary of Oct. 7 terror attacks brings out plenty showing full support for terror groups.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Oct 05, 2024 • 3 minute read
As most Canadians went quietly about their Saturday afternoon, thousands of their fellow citizens took over the streets of Toronto in support of terrorists. The chants, the flags, the signs were all to mark the start of several days of commemoration of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks one year ago.
“One year of genocide. One year of resistance,” said the posters promoting the march.
Of course, the anniversary being marked is the anniversary of the brutal attacks launched by Hamas. The people marching Saturday on Toronto’s downtown streets have been demonstrating every single week since those attacks happened.
A year ago, they were marching in solidarity with “the resistance” and this Saturday they were doing the same.
“Long live the resistance!” they chanted over and over.
The name of Hamas, translated into English, is the Islamic Resistance Movement.
As I’ve been saying since last October, these are not “pro-Palestinian” protests, they are anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish, they are pro-Hamas and more recently pro-Hezbollah. The marches, which were supposedly about basic human rights for the people of Gaza, have adopted the cause of Hezbollah and before that the Houthis.
Support for Hezbollah is not backing an oppressed people in a land dispute, it is backing a terrorist group that has been attacking Israel for the last year. Now that Israel is responding after thousands of missile attacks, including one that killed 12 Druze children and injured many more, this mob is chanting for Lebanon to be left alone.
In a year of covering these marches, I have never once heard a call for the hostages taken by Hamas to be released. There have been calls for a ceasefire directed at Israel but never calls for Hamas to make any concessions.
If you listen to what these protesters say, they make it clear who they are. They aren’t hiding it, and you just have to be willing to pay attention.
“We don’t want two states, take us back to ‘48!” the protesters chanted before switching over to the genocidal favourite, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Those chants, together, are a clear call to eliminate Israel, to drive the Jews into the sea.
We have the equivalent of Nazis marching in our streets day after day, week after week and very little is being done about it. Thankfully, Toronto Police announced the arrests of two men for waving and displaying the Hezbollah flag on Sept. 28 in downtown Toronto.
Ahmad Sheikhani, 34, of Oakville and Hamad Khalid Menshed, 34, of Mississauga are both facing a charge of “public incitement of hatred,” according to a TPS news release. The release clearly stated that officers approached the men, warned them about waving a terrorist group’s flag but had to back off due to the large crowd size. Both men kept waving the terrorist flag.
This isn’t the first time terror flags have flown. This also isn’t the first time these marchers have boldly declared their support for terrorism.
We have a real problem in our society where a large portion believes they can and should openly support terrorist activities. There were several thousand people marching and declaring their support in Toronto alone on Saturday, as well as other demonstrations across the country.
While the protesters were clear, not everyone is listening to what they are saying. Standing on Bloor St., I overheard a conversation between a store worker and a customer leaving the store.
“They’re supporting terrorism,” the customer said on his way out.
“No they aren’t,” said the retail worker to the nodding approval of their co-worker.
The group had just finished pledging their allegiance to “the resistance.”
It hasn’t helped that most media have been blind, complicit or both on the rare occasions they’ve covered these marches. Soft peddling any of this as pro-Palestinian is either ignoring the words the marchers say or an attempt to politically massage the message.
Our media needs to stop giving this cancerous group of people cover. They wouldn’t do it if they were actual Nazis, and they shouldn’t do it for this group which holds the same views.
Our politicians also need to start speaking out forcefully and stop pulling their punches over electoral concerns.
If you want to back terrorists, buy a plane ticket and fly over there to join the cause, but stop doing it from the comfort of Toronto.
You aren’t welcome here anymore.
torontosun.com
Anniversary of Oct. 7 terror attacks brings out plenty showing full support for terror groups.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Oct 05, 2024 • 3 minute read
As most Canadians went quietly about their Saturday afternoon, thousands of their fellow citizens took over the streets of Toronto in support of terrorists. The chants, the flags, the signs were all to mark the start of several days of commemoration of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks one year ago.
“One year of genocide. One year of resistance,” said the posters promoting the march.
Of course, the anniversary being marked is the anniversary of the brutal attacks launched by Hamas. The people marching Saturday on Toronto’s downtown streets have been demonstrating every single week since those attacks happened.
A year ago, they were marching in solidarity with “the resistance” and this Saturday they were doing the same.
“Long live the resistance!” they chanted over and over.
The name of Hamas, translated into English, is the Islamic Resistance Movement.
As I’ve been saying since last October, these are not “pro-Palestinian” protests, they are anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish, they are pro-Hamas and more recently pro-Hezbollah. The marches, which were supposedly about basic human rights for the people of Gaza, have adopted the cause of Hezbollah and before that the Houthis.
Support for Hezbollah is not backing an oppressed people in a land dispute, it is backing a terrorist group that has been attacking Israel for the last year. Now that Israel is responding after thousands of missile attacks, including one that killed 12 Druze children and injured many more, this mob is chanting for Lebanon to be left alone.
In a year of covering these marches, I have never once heard a call for the hostages taken by Hamas to be released. There have been calls for a ceasefire directed at Israel but never calls for Hamas to make any concessions.
If you listen to what these protesters say, they make it clear who they are. They aren’t hiding it, and you just have to be willing to pay attention.
“We don’t want two states, take us back to ‘48!” the protesters chanted before switching over to the genocidal favourite, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Those chants, together, are a clear call to eliminate Israel, to drive the Jews into the sea.
We have the equivalent of Nazis marching in our streets day after day, week after week and very little is being done about it. Thankfully, Toronto Police announced the arrests of two men for waving and displaying the Hezbollah flag on Sept. 28 in downtown Toronto.
Ahmad Sheikhani, 34, of Oakville and Hamad Khalid Menshed, 34, of Mississauga are both facing a charge of “public incitement of hatred,” according to a TPS news release. The release clearly stated that officers approached the men, warned them about waving a terrorist group’s flag but had to back off due to the large crowd size. Both men kept waving the terrorist flag.
This isn’t the first time terror flags have flown. This also isn’t the first time these marchers have boldly declared their support for terrorism.
We have a real problem in our society where a large portion believes they can and should openly support terrorist activities. There were several thousand people marching and declaring their support in Toronto alone on Saturday, as well as other demonstrations across the country.
While the protesters were clear, not everyone is listening to what they are saying. Standing on Bloor St., I overheard a conversation between a store worker and a customer leaving the store.
“They’re supporting terrorism,” the customer said on his way out.
“No they aren’t,” said the retail worker to the nodding approval of their co-worker.
The group had just finished pledging their allegiance to “the resistance.”
It hasn’t helped that most media have been blind, complicit or both on the rare occasions they’ve covered these marches. Soft peddling any of this as pro-Palestinian is either ignoring the words the marchers say or an attempt to politically massage the message.
Our media needs to stop giving this cancerous group of people cover. They wouldn’t do it if they were actual Nazis, and they shouldn’t do it for this group which holds the same views.
Our politicians also need to start speaking out forcefully and stop pulling their punches over electoral concerns.
If you want to back terrorists, buy a plane ticket and fly over there to join the cause, but stop doing it from the comfort of Toronto.
You aren’t welcome here anymore.
LILLEY: Terror supporters show their true colours in Toronto
Those marching don't even hide their support for terror groups as Hamas attack anniversary nears.
Recalling the horrors of Oct. 7
Author of the article:Warren Kinsella
Published Oct 05, 2024 • 4 minute read
Over the last few months the grounds around Re'im Park have been turned into a memorial for the victims and hostages from the Nova music festival which was attacked by Hamas militants on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023.
Over the last few months the grounds around Re'im Park have been turned into a memorial for the victims and hostages from the Nova music festival which was attacked by Hamas militants on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023.
It dawned with a sky that was so clear and blue, it seemed like you could see forever. It was a Saturday, so quiet, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. In Israel, it was a religious holiday for Jews, too, so few people were working, or ready for what was about to happen.
Around 6:30 a.m., as the sun was coming up, tiny figures could be seen in the sky, coming from the west, coming closer. At the site of the Nova Music Festival in the south, in the Negev, some sirens started to sound, and the music stopped. Those in attendance looked up, and saw the killers on their motorized paragliders, coming towards them. They started to run, but it was already too late. Some other killers had arrived, too, in Toyota SUVs and wearing military fatigues and carrying GoPro digital cameras, to record what they were about to do.
An estimated 4,000 members of assorted terror groups — Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, others — spilled across the border, along with 2,000 or so Palestinian citizens. They broke through the fences in more than 100 locations, near army bases and kibbutz farm communities. The atrocities would last for hours: 1,200 murders of men, women, children and babies; more than 100 rapes of women and girls; 250 people taken hostage, including infants. Most of the murders would happen at Nova, to people in their teens and 20s.
They set fire to children and beheaded babies. They killed entire families. They raped a woman and hacked off her breasts; others, they raped and then filled their vaginas with nails or bullets. It went on like that for hours.
We know these things because Hamas live-streamed much of it on Telegram, or they kept footage that they uploaded later to social media. It showed them laughing and smiling and posing for selfies, the walls of the kibbutzim smeared with blood and viscera. Bodies of Jews sprawled behind them on the ground.
Not everyone they killed was a Jew. They killed non-Jews, too. But their main target, then and now, was Jews.
While the orgy of rape and murder was still underway, Hamas and its axis — Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Qatar, Russia and China — flipped the switch on a massive, global propaganda campaign to justify the atrocities of Oct. 7, and to spread their homily of hate throughout Western democracy. Soon enough, via bots and fake accounts and conspiracy theories, the anti-Semitic hate was everywhere, like a snake. Licking at our windows, trying to get in.
It got in. It is here. Here, in the civilized world of 2024, which now very much resembles another time and place, when all of the world was dark.
Where did their hate, their anti-Semitism, come from? Why have so many — Generation Z and Millennials, in particular — embraced them, filling our streets and computer screens with things that we thought would never happen again?
I’ve written five books about racism and anti-Semitism, filed hundreds of newspaper columns and stories, and I’ve been on the receiving end of plenty of death threats from haters over the years. In all that time, I’ve formed the opinion that anti-Semitism is a shape-shifter. It isn’t practiced by one ideology — it’s embraced, at different times, by every ideology, right and left. It is an ideology unto itself, in fact, one that is older than capitalism, communism and all the other isms. It adapts; it changes with the times. It endures, like a pestilence for which we have no cure.
To me, it is a tumour that metastasizes when exposed to the many successes of the Jewish people. Resentment about the extraordinary resilience of their faith, resentment about their strength as a people, resentment about their obvious love for each other and God. The anti-Semites seethe with envy and then hate. They are losers and, like all losers, they hate perceived winners.
So: today, now. Lots of news stories and opinion columns will be published this weekend, recalling the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023. Many will express the hope that such a shoah, such a catastrophe, will never happen again. Some will even say it won’t.
Me, I don’t know anymore. All I can think about is the documentary filmmaker who came to see me a few weeks ago. He was doing a documentary about the history of anti-Semitism in Canada. Near the end, he told me he grew up with a Jewish mother who always told him to have a suitcase packed, in case the killers returned. In case he had to leave quickly.
But this is Canada, I said to him. It’s 2024. It’s not Germany in 1939.
“Yes,” he said, and then he took out his wallet, and then he pulled a small crucifix from it. He held it up. He was crying.
“This,” he said, “is so I can pretend not to be a Jew.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Warren Kinsella
Published Oct 05, 2024 • 4 minute read
Over the last few months the grounds around Re'im Park have been turned into a memorial for the victims and hostages from the Nova music festival which was attacked by Hamas militants on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023.
Over the last few months the grounds around Re'im Park have been turned into a memorial for the victims and hostages from the Nova music festival which was attacked by Hamas militants on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023.
It dawned with a sky that was so clear and blue, it seemed like you could see forever. It was a Saturday, so quiet, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. In Israel, it was a religious holiday for Jews, too, so few people were working, or ready for what was about to happen.
Around 6:30 a.m., as the sun was coming up, tiny figures could be seen in the sky, coming from the west, coming closer. At the site of the Nova Music Festival in the south, in the Negev, some sirens started to sound, and the music stopped. Those in attendance looked up, and saw the killers on their motorized paragliders, coming towards them. They started to run, but it was already too late. Some other killers had arrived, too, in Toyota SUVs and wearing military fatigues and carrying GoPro digital cameras, to record what they were about to do.
An estimated 4,000 members of assorted terror groups — Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, others — spilled across the border, along with 2,000 or so Palestinian citizens. They broke through the fences in more than 100 locations, near army bases and kibbutz farm communities. The atrocities would last for hours: 1,200 murders of men, women, children and babies; more than 100 rapes of women and girls; 250 people taken hostage, including infants. Most of the murders would happen at Nova, to people in their teens and 20s.
They set fire to children and beheaded babies. They killed entire families. They raped a woman and hacked off her breasts; others, they raped and then filled their vaginas with nails or bullets. It went on like that for hours.
We know these things because Hamas live-streamed much of it on Telegram, or they kept footage that they uploaded later to social media. It showed them laughing and smiling and posing for selfies, the walls of the kibbutzim smeared with blood and viscera. Bodies of Jews sprawled behind them on the ground.
Not everyone they killed was a Jew. They killed non-Jews, too. But their main target, then and now, was Jews.
While the orgy of rape and murder was still underway, Hamas and its axis — Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Qatar, Russia and China — flipped the switch on a massive, global propaganda campaign to justify the atrocities of Oct. 7, and to spread their homily of hate throughout Western democracy. Soon enough, via bots and fake accounts and conspiracy theories, the anti-Semitic hate was everywhere, like a snake. Licking at our windows, trying to get in.
It got in. It is here. Here, in the civilized world of 2024, which now very much resembles another time and place, when all of the world was dark.
Where did their hate, their anti-Semitism, come from? Why have so many — Generation Z and Millennials, in particular — embraced them, filling our streets and computer screens with things that we thought would never happen again?
I’ve written five books about racism and anti-Semitism, filed hundreds of newspaper columns and stories, and I’ve been on the receiving end of plenty of death threats from haters over the years. In all that time, I’ve formed the opinion that anti-Semitism is a shape-shifter. It isn’t practiced by one ideology — it’s embraced, at different times, by every ideology, right and left. It is an ideology unto itself, in fact, one that is older than capitalism, communism and all the other isms. It adapts; it changes with the times. It endures, like a pestilence for which we have no cure.
To me, it is a tumour that metastasizes when exposed to the many successes of the Jewish people. Resentment about the extraordinary resilience of their faith, resentment about their strength as a people, resentment about their obvious love for each other and God. The anti-Semites seethe with envy and then hate. They are losers and, like all losers, they hate perceived winners.
So: today, now. Lots of news stories and opinion columns will be published this weekend, recalling the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023. Many will express the hope that such a shoah, such a catastrophe, will never happen again. Some will even say it won’t.
Me, I don’t know anymore. All I can think about is the documentary filmmaker who came to see me a few weeks ago. He was doing a documentary about the history of anti-Semitism in Canada. Near the end, he told me he grew up with a Jewish mother who always told him to have a suitcase packed, in case the killers returned. In case he had to leave quickly.
But this is Canada, I said to him. It’s 2024. It’s not Germany in 1939.
“Yes,” he said, and then he took out his wallet, and then he pulled a small crucifix from it. He held it up. He was crying.
“This,” he said, “is so I can pretend not to be a Jew.”
KINSELLA: Recalling the horrors of Oct. 7
It dawned with a sky that was so clear and blue, it seemed like you could see forever.
Thousands join pro-Palestine rallies around the globe as Oct. 7 anniversary nears
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Giada Zampano And Sylvia Hui
Published Oct 05, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
ROME — Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe Saturday to call for a ceasefire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached.
Massive rallies were planned in several European cities, with the largest gatherings expected from Saturday to Monday. Events will peak Monday, the date of the anniversary.
In Rome, several thousands demonstrated peacefully Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the centre of the city, in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests, citing security concerns.
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd.
The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.
In London, thousands gathered in Russell Square amid a significant police presence. Some of the march’s organizers had said they planned to target companies and institutions they claimed were “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including Barclays Bank and the British Museum.
The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestine protesters and counter-demonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed one another. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. Fifteen people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police. Two smaller pro-Israeli counterdemonstrations took place without incident, it said.
Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading “stop the genocide,” “free Palestine,” and “hands off Lebanon.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also planned to join rallies in Washington, New York’s Times Square and several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Pro-Israeli demonstrations are expected to be held Sunday because Jews across the world are still observing Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish new year.
This year, the emotions will be extraordinarily powerful for many given that the midpoint of the 10 days spanning Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Oct. 7 — the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
High security alerts
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that the protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate ceasefire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent, with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday’s rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 attack being “glorified,” local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential terror attacks.
“This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken.
“We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests. German authorities pointed to increasing antisemitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying that the terrorist threat was high.
A tense and bloody year
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon.
— Hui reported from London. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this story.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Giada Zampano And Sylvia Hui
Published Oct 05, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
ROME — Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe Saturday to call for a ceasefire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached.
Massive rallies were planned in several European cities, with the largest gatherings expected from Saturday to Monday. Events will peak Monday, the date of the anniversary.
In Rome, several thousands demonstrated peacefully Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the centre of the city, in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests, citing security concerns.
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd.
The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.
In London, thousands gathered in Russell Square amid a significant police presence. Some of the march’s organizers had said they planned to target companies and institutions they claimed were “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including Barclays Bank and the British Museum.
The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestine protesters and counter-demonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed one another. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. Fifteen people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police. Two smaller pro-Israeli counterdemonstrations took place without incident, it said.
Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading “stop the genocide,” “free Palestine,” and “hands off Lebanon.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also planned to join rallies in Washington, New York’s Times Square and several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Pro-Israeli demonstrations are expected to be held Sunday because Jews across the world are still observing Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish new year.
This year, the emotions will be extraordinarily powerful for many given that the midpoint of the 10 days spanning Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Oct. 7 — the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
High security alerts
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that the protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate ceasefire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent, with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday’s rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 attack being “glorified,” local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential terror attacks.
“This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken.
“We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests. German authorities pointed to increasing antisemitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying that the terrorist threat was high.
A tense and bloody year
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon.
— Hui reported from London. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this story.
Thousands join pro-Palestine rallies around the globe as Oct. 7 anniversary nears
Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome.
Israel marks Oct. 7 anniversary under shadow of escalating war — Reuters
Israelis on Monday marked the first anniversary of the devastating Hamas attack that triggered a war which has sparked protest worldwide and risks igniting a far wider conflict in the Middle East.
Think of it as Israel protesting the cowardly slaughter of 1500-odd innocent civilians.