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{mosimage}Marchers brave chill to denounce war: More than 300 at downtown protest.
More than 300 pro-Iraqi and pro-Palestinian demonstrators paraded in downtown Montreal yesterday against the war in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of land captured in 1967.
PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2003.04.05
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A7
BYLINE: IRWIN BLOCK
SOURCE: The Gazette
ILLUSTRATION: Photo: PHIL CARPENTER, THE GAZETTE / Luc Poudrier sits withmore than 300 other protesters at the corner of St. Alexandre and Ste. Catherine Sts. yesterday to observe a moment of silence in support of people in Iraq. Marchers brave chill to denounce war: More than 300 at downtown protest. Organizer challenges basis for attack on Iraq because countries in Mideast are spared
More than 300 pro-Iraqi and pro-Palestinian demonstrators paraded in downtown Montreal yesterday against the war in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of land captured in 1967. The protest, organized by the campus-based Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPRR), began in front of Concordia University's Hall building with a skit depicting the horror of a public market bombing. Though the thermometer dropped to minus 4C, the protesters, including many university students, continued to Ste. Catherine St. and over two hours presented more street theatre at intersections, depicting scenes of attacks on Iraqi civilians and mock Israeli military raids on refugee camps. Led by a sound truck, they chanted such slogans as, "One, two, three four, we don't want your dirty war. Five, six, seven, eight, let the Iraqis decide their fate." Chadi Marouf, a principal organizer who also runs the SPHR office as a volunteer, challenged the basis for the attack on Iraq, because it is alleged to have weapons of mass destruction, while Israel, which is believed to have nuclear weapons, is spared. "The Americans care about their interests in the Middle East, and if you're on their side it's not a problem," Marouf said. Similarly, most of the countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, are much like Iraq in not being democratic, yet remain friends of the U.S., he noted. "We want to throw light on the war on Iraq and the link between it and Palestine, an issue which has been completely forgotten," said Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, an umbrella of about 40 Muslim organizations. Scott Weinstein, of the Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation, said there is "a crisis of information in Montreal because The Gazette no longer represents us" and is not giving objective and balanced information on Iraq and Israel. Editor in chief Peter Stockland said later that Weinstein had every right to express his opinions, but added: "We feel we are giving balanced and fair coverage and will continue to do so."
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