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Crowds protest israeli consulate in montreal Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060721/MIDEAST_israel_060722/20060722?hub=CTVNewsAt11http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060721/MIDEAST_israel_060722/20060722?hub=CTVNewsAt11
Protesters denounce Israeli attacks on Lebanon
Updated Sat. Jul. 22 2006 7:55 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Crowds gathered outside the Israeli consulate in Montreal to protest the Israeli military offensive in Lebanon, and demand that Prime Minister Stephen Harper take a strong stance against the invasion.
"While the Canadian focus has been on the mass evacuation of its citizens, here they wish Canada would put pressure on Israel to stop the bombings and destruction," said CTV's Sarah Galashan, reporting from the city.
Montreal has the largest Lebanese community in Canada, but members of a Palestinian and Jewish group opposing the offensive were also present.
"The war is killing innocent people,'' Aaron Lakoff told The Canadian Press. "It not a Jewish value and the state of Israel doesn't represent all the world's Jews."
One woman, Fatme Noureddine, could speak very little English or French but wanted to show CTV News photographs of her children.
She said they were still in Beirut and she wanted desperately to see them safe.
Another protester said his sister was coming to Canada after fleeing Lebanon, but had relatives who were not as fortunate.
"My sister, she's on one of the boats right now," said the man. "And the first thing she asked me is, 'What's going to happen to my cousin in Lebanon?'"
Meanwhile, peace protesters gathered in up to 20 other Canadians cities Saturday.
In Toronto, 2,000 people demanded an immediate end to the fighting. Some aimed criticism for the conflict squarely at Israel, while other carried banners with the words War Monger under an image of Harper.
Protesters criticized what they viewed as Harper's stance supporting Israel's military actions against the Hezbollah militia, sparked after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers.
"We Canadians who believe in our ethical and humanitarian role in the world will not forget his pathetic and inadequate response," Ausma Malik, a University of Toronto student, told a crowd outside the U.S. consulate.
Despite the protesters calling for peace, some in the crowd cheered after hearing Hezbollah had claimed to have killed 22 Israeli soldiers.
Hussein Hammoud has relatives in southern Lebanon, where air strikes have destroyed some of their homes. He pledged his support for the militia.
"We are all with the leader of Hezbollah," Hammoud told CP. "God bless him and we are praying for him to defend us, and defend our children."
Protests were also held in several major European cities, including London, where about 7,000 people gathered.
With files from CTV's Sarah Galashan and The Canadian Press
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