Manitoba Jewish leaders are condemning the local Palestinian community for a “misleading” rally they’re staging outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Tensions between supporters of Israel and Palestine have remained high in Winnipeg over the past year. They are flaring again in anticipation of the sombre milestone, which marks the deaths of thousands.
Organizers within the city’s Palestinian community will host the gathering at the CMHR tonight, calling it “World Awakening Day.” Advertising for the event describes Israel as a terrorist state and says Oct. 7 is the “day that the entire world woke up.”
MIKE SUDOMA / FREE PRESS
Palestinian flags fly as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters rally at the legislature.
“It’s gross, it’s misleading and it should not be tolerated,” Gustavo Zentner, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs vice-president of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, said of the messaging behind today’s event.
“Let’s be perfectly clear, this wording and gathering serve one purpose: to misinform, to create divides and to allow for more anti-semitism in our society.”
Zentner called on community leaders and “all levels of civil society” to denounce the “wording and sentiment” behind the event, saying it seeks to justify the actions of Hamas and other armed groups that launched a cross-border attack on Israel last year.
The conflict has since widened to Lebanon and Iran.
Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, said many Jewish people living in the city have family and friends in the war-stricken areas of the Middle East.
“The events of Oct. 7 were horrific and shocking to Israelis and Jews across the world, and certainly Jews in Winnipeg,” said Lieberman. “This all happened because of the Hamas terror attack.”
While the attack sparked the latest round of warfare, the Gaza-based militant group and Israel have feuded for decades.
Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, said Monday’s event will commemorate “the lives that have been lost in the last year, and in the last 75 years.”
“We want the world to know that this conflict did not start on Oct. 7. This is a conflict that has been going on for over 76 years now,” he said.
He said he was not surprised by the backlash in response to the event, which begins at 6 p.m.
The museum is not involved in or associated with the event, but the location was chosen because it is “symbolic.” The gathering will happen on the sidewalk, which is considered public property, Zeid said.
The anniversary of the start of the war coincides with Judaism’s High Holy Days, the 10-day period spanning Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
The Jewish community will gather at the Asper Jewish Community Campus for a memorial rally at 5:30 p.m. Participants will remember the Israeli people who’ve been killed and pray for those who are still held hostage.
Both gatherings will take place under a heightened police presence, following an announcement by the Winnipeg Police Service that officers will have increased patrols at various sites during the Jewish High Holidays.
In a news release, WPS commended demonstration organizers “for finding the balance between gathering to highlight their concerns while refraining from conducting counter-protests” over the last 12 months.
The balance has minimized the need for significant numbers of officers to be on hand, it said.
A record number of protests this year has strained police resources. As of Sept. 12, Winnipeg police attended 415 protests in 2024, up from 299 last year.
A WPS spokesperson said the service is aware of both of the demonstrations planned Monday, and expects they will be conducted peacefully.
The gatherings will follow similar events that took place over the weekend.
MIKE SUDOMA / FREE PRESS
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold signs and fly Palestinian flags during a rally at the Manitoba legislature on Saturday.
Hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian rally at the legislature Saturday, which was followed by a march to Portage Avenue and Main Street under police escort.
“The situation there is unbearable. Everything is so bad,” Bisan Dasuki, who has family members in Gaza, said at the rally.
Dasuki said her relatives in Gaza are trying to reassure family in Canada they are OK, despite the devastation in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
“They don’t sound OK,” said Dasuki, noting her overriding emotion is anger when she thinks about what her loved ones and other Palestinians are going through. “I hope for a free Palestine.”
She and other demonstrators called on the Canadian government to put pressure on Israel to bring an end to the war.
Standing in front of a giant Palestinian flag draped across the legislature’s steps, speakers condemned Israel’s military offensive and accused the country’s leaders of genocide, while mourning the Palestinians who’ve been killed.
Zentner said linking Oct. 7 to genocide was incorrect and dangerous.
“Statements like these are exactly why there has been such a massive increase in antisemitism faced by Jews around the world and right here at home in Winnipeg,” he said.
The WPS annual statistical report shows the number of hate crimes reported in Winnipeg rose to 46 in 2023, up from 28 the previous year. The report does not distinguish between which groups were targeted in the crimes.
Lieberman said incidents of hate have left people in the Jewish community feeling unsafe.
“Our community has really struggled for the past year with what’s been going on around the world and what’s been going on in Winnipeg,” he said.
Israel said almost 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage a year ago Monday.
The dead included former Winnipeg resident Vivian Silver, who moved to Israel in 1974. She was a co-founder of Women Wage Peace, while advocating for an end to Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel has said about 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with many believed to be dead.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, has said more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 96,000 wounded in Israel’s military offensive.
Israeli and Hamas leaders are being investigated for alleged war crimes.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching
Reporter
As a general assignment reporter, Chris covers a little bit of everything for the Free Press.
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Since joining the paper in 2022, Tyler has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.
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