By World BEYOND War, April 19, 2024
On Tuesday April 16th, hundreds of people in Toronto shut down a critical U.S.-Canada freight line for 5 hours demanding a full arms embargo on Israel and an end to the genocide in Gaza. The Canada-Israel arms trade relies on Canadian rail infrastructure to ship arms to air and sea ports for transfer to Israel, and to ship parts to the U.S., which are then incorporated into weapons systems like Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, before also being exported to Israel.
The Toronto mobilization followed over 50 actions the previous day, Monday April 15, when communities around the world kicked off escalations aimed at blocking the arteries of capitalism and disrupting business as usual in a global economic system that is facilitating Israel’s genocidal campaign on Gaza. The Toronto rail blockade joined rail, port, road, weapons company, and government building shutdowns across the country.
Several hours into the rail disruption in solidarity with Gaza, dozens of cops stormed the protest line and arrested four people, including two Indigenous Land Defenders.
In the hours that followed, Toronto police moved the arrestees around and split them up at two different divisions, a police tactic to make support more difficult. Nearly 24 hours after they were taken in, all were released to waiting community support rallies.
The police and the state are escalating their suppression of dissent, but we will not be silenced or intimidated, and we will continue to take care of each other. This is now four more people facing charges and legal processes for standing up to genocide in Toronto. Support these four and everyone who has been arrested for standing with Palestinians in this city in the last 6 months by donating to the Toronto Community Justice Fund at www.tcjf.ca
The Toronto rail blockade was covered by every major news outlet including CTV, CBC National and CBC Toronto, Global News, CP24, and CityNews. Check out some of it in the video compilation below, including some helicopter and drone shots.
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5 Responses
Tremendous action by the anti-war supporters of Gaza. Thank-you for your brave steadfastness!
Thank you,Canadians!!! The world needs more people like you. We need to stop US sending weapons to Israel, to be used against civilians. Stop the genocide!!
Thank you for your commitment and steadfastness. I would have been there if I could. Stop the genocide! Let peace reign!
A mosquito at the arms dealers BBQ; a hornets nest in the office of a cowardly foolish politician. When he runs screaming anti-semitism many Gazan lives will be saved.
I am from Vancouver and i wanted to say that it is good that University Students all across Canada are protesting against their Universities support for Israeli Genocide. That is a good site to see.
Many years ago in 1936 at the start of the Spanish Civil War against General Francisco Franco a call was put out for Canadians to go to Spain to fight with the People of Spain against Franco. Many Canadians took up the offer and went to Spain. These Canadians who did the right thing were condemned by the Canadian Gov’t and Francisco Franco who was a close friend of Hitler was praised by the Canadian Gov’t. Nothing has changed since then. Canada still supports the most Fascist Gov’ts in the world.