‘Enough is enough’: Montrealers protest seized Gaza-bound aid boat
Demonstration comes in response to interception of the Madleen ship and detention of 12 activists
Hundreds of Montrealers took to the streets on the evening of June 9, demanding the release of the Freedom Flotilla crew aboard the vessel Madleen and urging Canadian and international governments to ensure the delivery of essential supplies to the Gaza Strip.
The demonstration began at 5:30 p.m. outside the Israeli consulate in downtown Montreal, less than 24 hours after Israeli occupation forces detained the Madleen crew in international waters and seized its humanitarian cargo.
The boat was carrying aid―including baby formula, food and medicine―along with 12 activists and journalists, among them Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
“We’ve seen for the last two years, the Israeli government commit war crime after war crime,” said Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) organizer Rand Hasan. “Enough is enough.”
On board the Madleen were Thunberg; French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan; German activist Yasemin Acar; Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, Reva Viard and journalist Omar Faiad from France; Thiago Avila from Brazil; Suayb Ordu from Turkey; Sergio Toribio from Spain; and Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands.
Hasan called on Canada to “cut all diplomatic ties,” and suspend arms shipments to and from Israel.
“There’s still arms being shipped back and forth to the U.S. and to Israel through Canada,” she said.
Presently, Canada maintains formal diplomatic relations with Israel, including an embassy in Tel Aviv. Cutting diplomatic ties would mean shutting down the embassy, halting formal communications and withdrawing diplomatic staff—an action typically reserved for countries in conflict or severe political disapproval.
Canada has suspended the approval of future arms export permits to Israel as of March 2024, following a non-binding vote in the House of Commons. However, this suspension does not apply retroactively, meaning permits approved prior to that decision may still be active.
“We need to hold all our governments accountable,” Hasan said.
“Mark Carney, pick a side,” was one of several chants that rang out during the march.
This took place the same day the prime minister shared an Instagram post following his visit to the Nova Music Festival Exhibition, which he described as telling “the story of the brutal massacre carried out by the terrorist entity Hamas on October 7, 2023.”
That same day, PYM’s Toronto chapter posted a video showing the prime minister responding, “Time and a place,” to a question about whether he would be “saying anything about the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
On June 1, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition sent the Madleen from Catania, Italy, to break the blockade in Gaza and deliver aid.
According to the Flotilla, the Madleen was stopped in international waters in the early hours of June 9 in Israel time, shortly before reaching its intended destination off the Gaza coast.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move was in line with a naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007, which prohibits unauthorized vessels from entering the coastal territory, according to multiple media reports. The ministry also called the 18-metre Madleen a “selfie yacht” in multiple posts on X.
Thunberg is among the four activists who agreed to deportation, while those remaining are set to appear before Israeli authorities.
One protester, Alex, who declined to give his last name due to safety concerns, said the protest was “a manifestation of people not being okay with the status quo.”
Standing outside the Israeli consulate, he called for Canada to “expel all the Israeli diplomats right now, cut all ties with Israel and close the current delegation in Tel Aviv.”
“This business of intercepting boats in international waters is just such a violation of international law,” added Montrealer Rose Marie Walley. “I'm just in horror at what's happening in Gaza. Not just the Flotilla, that's just the latest situation.”
Walley said people who want to get involved should call their member of parliament.
“Tell them to demand an arms embargo,” she said.
Hasan has a message for the Madleen crew and Montrealers alike.
“This is an act of bravery, and we need to continue doing stuff like this, and everyone has a role to play, even if that’s a really simple one like being on a boat or protesting,” she said. “This is just the start of what we can do when we’re organized.”
The protest remained peaceful, with light police presence throughout. The crowd dispersed around 8 p.m. at Phillips Square downtown.
_2_600_375_90_s_c1.jpg)