By Rachel Small, World BEYOND War, June 2, 2024
This week we took on Canada’s biggest military and weapons fair in Ottawa. We blocked CANSEC’s entrances by taking over the only road access to the convention centre and making the bloodshed caused by the weapons dealers exhibiting inside very visible. Then we came together with additional Ottawa allies to bring the protest to Parliament Hill to call out the government’s complicity in the arms trade. The protests went viral online and we got lots of media coverage, drawing unprecedented attention to this weapons fair and the war profiteering it is designed to support.
Eight peace activists (including three World BEYOND War organizers) were arrested throughout the day, so we rallied for jail support at the police station until all were released. Seven of them now face charges for standing up to the real war criminals at CANSEC who are buying and selling the weapons that have brought misery to millions this year – from Palestine to Sudan, from the Congo to Ukraine, from Afghanistan and West Papua to Ethiopia.
Please chip in to help cover their legal costs as we fight collectively to make sure ALL of their charges are dropped. Donate by sending an etransfer to l4pcanada@gmail.com and include a message that it’s for CANSEC legal defense.
Meanwhile, with Jabalia in ruins and Rafah under attack Canada is continuing to arm and fund the Israeli military. It’s beyond despicable, and we need to make it stop.
We’re holding an #ArmsEmbargoNow webinar on Monday evening at 7pm ET to ramp up the campaign to end the flow of all weapons to and from Israel. This demand is deeply winnable and impactful, but we need everybody in to achieve it.
This will be a key moment to join Palestinian leaders, a renowned doctor who recently returned from Gaza, labour reps, antiwar and student encampment organizers from across the country to share updates and next steps to collectively win the demand for a full and immediate arms embargo.
RSVP here: armsembargonow.ca/webinar
And please spread the word on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
P.S. As of right now, 37 MPs have officially signed on to the Arms Embargo Now demand, including members of the Liberal, Green and NDP parties! And, in parallel, the Bloc Québecois has sent a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, asking that “the Government of Canada temporarily suspend all trade in arms and military technology with Israel.” This is a great start but we need to bring many more MPs on side to make this actually happen. Has your MP signed on? Check here and, if not, go to our Take Action page to push them to get on board.
