Pro-Palestine Protesters Storm Canadian Parliament, Interrupt Session

By Al Mayadeen English

14 Feb 2024 23:57

Canada is one of four countries facing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) initiated by the Nicaraguan government for their complicity in the Gaza genocide.

During Wednesday's question period at the Canadian House of Commons (HoC), a group of protesters disrupted proceedings by chanting slogans in support of Palestine. 

"Free, Free Palestine," the group of demonstrators shouted from the second-floor tribunes.

The interruption occurred as Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre questioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the government's mishandling of the development of the COVID-era ArriveCan app.

Their disruption led HoC Speaker Greg Fergus to silence the lawmakers' microphones and ultimately suspend parliament's session for two minutes to allow for "things to calm down."

When South Africa filed genocide charges against "Israel" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that if the court ruled in favor of South Africa, his government would support the court's thorough efforts and proceedings. However, he emphasized, "Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not imply that we endorse the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa."

Earlier this month, the Nicaraguan government announced it started proceedings to take Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada to the ICJ for their complicity in the Gaza genocide.

The executive authority in Nicaragua published an official statement in which it revealed that it warned the governments of said Western powers that they might be jointly complicit in the "flagrant and systemic violations" of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip. 

In its note, Nicaragua urged the four states to immediately cease the provision of arms, munitions, and technologies to "Israel" because it might use them to facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

The memorandum underlined that the countries supporting "Israel" are obligated to cut off supplies to it "from the moment the state becomes aware of the existence of a serious risk of committing genocide."

On November 26, 2023, during Canada's largest pro-Palestine rally which gathered an estimated 100,000 participants, organizers told Al Mayadeen that protesters called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the war-stricken Gaza Strip as well as an end to Canadian complicity in the Gaza genocide. 

Mohawk activist Ellen Gabriel told Al Mayadeen, "As an Indigenous person, where we suffered multi-generational trauma from genocide and colonization, we absolutely identify with the plight of the Palestinian people because their fight is similar to ours."