A York Region group joined up to 2,000 Palestine supporters who demonstrated in a Niagara Falls cross-border rally, coming from as far away as Montreal on Sunday, July 21, according to a Niagara Palestine Coalition news release.
The coalition’s Canadian partners included York Region 4 Palestine, Hamilton 4 Palestine, Milton Palestine Action Committee, Oakville-Halton 4 Palestine, Mississauga-Streetsville 4 Palestine, Scarborough SW for Palestine, Friends of Palestine Canada, Liberate Palestine 48, Toronto 4 Palestine, and Independent Jewish Voices Hamilton; on the US side: Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Buffalo, Christian Peace Collective of WNY, and Allies Against Apartheid WNY.
"This was the biggest Palestine rally in Niagara since the events of October 2023 and the biggest cross-border peace rally in 30 years," the group stated.
The Canadian participants marched from Stanley Avenue and Highway 420 to the border and on the U.S. side gathered at Prospect Point Observation Point. Supporters came by chartered busses and car caravans, the group added.
Mohammed Murad of the NPC said, “As a Palestinian living in Niagara, it was an emotional moment for me to watch the two rallies converge on each side of the colonial border, united in our call for a free and liberated Palestine.”
NPC spokesperson Gabriel Gebril added, “We proved to ourselves that we are strong, we are not alone, and that we are united.”
The NPC was founded in the wake of the 2023 October crisis in Palestine and has members from diverse backgrounds, including Palestinians, Jews, Indigenous peoples, academics, union activists, students, youth, retirees, of various faiths, across the Niagara region of Ontario, the news release stated. It has organized weekly demonstrations in Niagara on Sundays, as well as fundraisers and educational events.
