Protesters praised the recent terrorism wave in Israel, cheered at the news of Lebanese rocket attacks, and denied the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount at a Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement rally in Toronto on Sunday, in addition to a wide range of other radical statements.
The rally, organized by GTA Palestine Movement, was live-streamed by Canadian Defenders For Human Rights (CD4HR) co-director Aliya Hasan.
"As we march right now, people in Lebanon have hit Israel with two rockets," an organizer told marchers in a segment of a livestream of the rally shared by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Policy Director Jaime Kirzner-Roberts.
On Sunday night, a rocket was launched from southern Lebanon and fell near Kibbutz Matzuva. When the news of the rocket strike was broken as the protesters walked in the direction of the Israeli consulate, the protesters cheered, and called out "Allahu Akbar."
"In Toronto, Palestinians cheer for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians," tweeted Canadian MP Melissa Lantsman. "This is not a protest. This is full-on antisemitism in our streets."
In Toronto, Palestinians cheer for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.
— Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) April 25, 2022
This is not a protest. This is full on #antisemitism in our streets.
Shame on our government for standing by and saying nothing about it. #cdnpoli https://t.co/WaGXVnbTiB
"To cheer for rocket attacks on a civilian population in Israel is appalling," said MP Anthony Housefather.
The Toronto activists glorified terrorism and called for Intifada repeatedly throughout the rally.
"Israel has witnessed the deadliest attacks that it has seen in the last 15 years, all because the Palestinian freedom fighters have been putting their lives to fight for freedom," Hasan said, addressing the crowd. She was met with calls of "Allah akbar," and "takbir," the latter of which is often used as a cry of victory or joy. “Israel is on edge, they have seen what the resistance is capable of," Hasan continued.
Hasan explained that Palestinians have the right to resist according to international law "by any means necessary," a phrase that was the slogan of last week's New York City BDS protest that allegedly saw one Jewish man punched in the face for carrying an Israeli flag.
Organizers wore shirts emblazoned with "Intifada," and led the crowd in chants calling for the violent uprising, saying "There is only one solution, intifada, revolution" and "Long live the Intifada — Intifada, Intifada."
Hasan repeated the rumors that had led to the Arab riots, that Jews were seeking to take over the site, worship, and sacrifice animals there.
While the protest was organized by GTA Palestine Movement, several other organizations attended and were involved in the advertisement of the event. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) advertised the event as part of the All out for Palestine protests this week, as did Samidoun, an NGO designated as a terrorist organization affiliate by the Israeli government.