Montrealers took to the streets again yesterday on Wednesday August 13th despite heavy rain to continue showing their support for Palestinian rights. Colourful umbrellas dotted the crowd of protesters who marched down St-Denis street calling on people to join the boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli Apartheid.
Protesters stopped at various stores that sell Israeli products made in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to raise awareness of Israeli products that should be boycotted as part of the BDS campaign. The stops included:
- Mountain Equipment Co-op, where sports equipment and clothing made in Israel are sold under Israeli brands such as Source or under other brands such as Patagonia.
- The SAQ that sells Israeli wines including wines produced in the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
- Centre du Rasoir that sells soda gas machines from the Israeli brand Sodastream, manufactured in the illegal settlement of Maale.
- Naot Shoes that has a factory outlet store located in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement.
Other BDS targets mentioned by the protester organizers include:
- Ahava Beautfy Products, whose factory is located in the illegal Israeli settlements of Mitzpe Shalem, sold at The Bay and Sears
- Fruits and vegetables from Israel under the Israeli brand Sharon
- The Canadian Indigo/Chapters chain of bookstores, from which the owners subsidize Canadians to join the Israeli army
- G4S, which is the Anglo-Danish security company that equips Israeli prisons, the illegal Apartheid Wall, and Israeli checkpoints throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Additional information on Israeli products to boycott in Montreal as part of the BDS campaign can be found at http://boycottisraelmtl.wordpress.com/
Protest organizers encouraged people to denounce occupation and colonialism and emphasized the link between Palestinian solidarity and other anti-colonial struggles, including those of First Nations peoples in Canada.
Despite a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, Montreal demonstrators are still taking to the streets to denounce Israel’s daily occupation of Palestinian land, its continued violations of international laws, and its apartheid system. Over 10,000 people marched through Montreal’s downtown on Sunday August 10th, demonstrating a growing Palestinian Solidarity Movement in Quebec. Protesters denounced Israel’s many violations of international law and called on the Canadian government to end its complicity with Israeli crimes and its unwavering support for Israeli policies of occupation and apartheid.
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Under the Olive Tree is a Montreal-based community radio program in solidarity with Palestinians aired live every Thursday from 11am – 12 noon on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal and on CFRC 101.9FM in Kingston, Ontario.
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http://www.mixcloud.com/UnderTheOliveTree/
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