Antiwar protesters calling for Israeli embargo ousted from Ottawa building housing MPs’ offices

Dozens of antiwar protesters who occupied the lobby of the Confederation Building in Ottawa, demanding Canada impose an arms embargo on Israel, have now been pushed out into the street.

The demonstration began at around 8:45 a.m., with protesters stating that they would allow Members of Parliament with offices in the building to pass through the crowd, but they would have to listen to the demonstrators’ demands on the way in.

Officers of the Parliamentary Protection Service (PPS) and Ottawa Police officers were present, asking individuals if they had any legitimate business inside the building before allowing them entry.

By 10 a.m., protesters who were removed from the building were chanting outside, with at least four members of the group being detained by police and the PPS.

The group comprises over a hundred Jewish Canadians and Palestinian supporters, as per a statement released by the protesters.

Niall Ricardo, one of the organizers of the protest, expressed, “Our politicians cannot be complacent in these marble hallways while Israel continues to burn Palestinians alive in their tents.”

The group’s demands include urging the Canadian government to acknowledge its role in arming Israel and cease hiding Canada’s complicity in the conflict in Gaza. They are also calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel, along with the cancellation of all active military export permits to the country.

Furthermore, the protesters are advocating for Canada to cease any weapons exports to the United States that may ultimately reach Israel, as well as put an end to the import of military goods and technology from Israel.

Ricardo emphasized, “The warplanes and attack helicopters causing destruction on civilians could not operate without hundreds of Canadian-made components. Canada’s ongoing arms exports and diplomatic support make it complicit in these atrocities.”

The demonstration outside the Confederation Building in Ottawa serves as a poignant reminder of the global call for peace and the ethical responsibilities of nations in the realm of international conflicts.