On Tuesday it was a time of reflection for members of Montreal’s Jewish community, who gathered in their hundreds to remember the victims of Hamas and, for some, to support Israel.
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Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
“I am here to offer my support and remember them [les victimes]. By doing this together, we stand together,” said Joseph Rubin, 26, who carries the Israeli flag on his back.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
He was one of the hundred people who gathered in Montreal’s Dorchester Square on Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil to commemorate the more than 1,000 people who died in the bloody attacks by the Palestinian Islamist movement last Saturday.
Sadness, but also anger, was expressed in the voices of those who came to take the microphone in a rather relaxed atmosphere.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
“There is not a family in Israel that does not know someone who is dead, injured or trapped,” said one of the organizers.
Mr. Rubin “100%” wants a ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
“Hamas must be eradicated. Otherwise it will only get worse,” he believes.
A single man disrupted the event for a few seconds by shouting “Free Palestine!” », before he was immediately dismissed with insults by some vigil participants.
Also in front of the consulate
A few hours earlier, a crowd of around 700 people gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in Montreal to express conflicting feelings.
While some young people made noise by vigorously waving Israeli flags, others shed tears and wished for a quieter atmosphere.
“Don’t make that noise, that’s not what we’re here for!” We’re here to reflect on and honor the victims and the dead,” protested a Jewish woman of a certain age.
A pro-Palestinian protester was arrested by police before being released without charge after he physically attacked people taking part in the rally outside the consulate, which he, along with three other people, attempted to disrupt.
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