By Eyeopener Staff
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students joined thousands of pro-Palestine protesters in Toronto on Saturday for an International Day of Action. The protest was in light of one year of war between the State of Israel and Hamas, which has killed thousands of civilians since it began.
The demonstrations began at King’s College Circle on the University of Toronto’s campus before connecting to Yonge-Dundas Square at around 2:30 p.m. More pro-Palestine demonstrations took place in other major cities worldwide.
The protest’s main organizer was the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of young Palestinians dedicated to the liberation of Palestine and its people, according to its website.
“We are here to commemorate one year since the start of this genocide in Gaza,” said Mohammed William, an organizer for the PYM.
A report published in March 2024 by Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine for the United Nations reads, “By analyzing the patterns of violence and Israel’s policies in its onslaught on Gaza, this report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide is met.”
William said PYM is demanding an arms embargo and sanctions on the State of Israel.
Protesters were also seen carrying Lebanese flags to show their solidarity with Lebanon after Israeli strikes killed thousands of civilians.
A member* of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) told The Eyeopener they joined the students contingent for this rally to show that universities across the province are connected as a unit. The member said there were 14 different schools at the demonstration.
“We are not going to stop voicing our concerns about our institution’s complicity in genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. [We are] here today to stand alongside our fellow students to say, no more,” said the member.
According to the Legal Information Institute, apartheid is a form of racial segregation that deprives a certain group of their political and civil rights. This is a punishable crime against humanity according to article 7.1.J of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
“The Israeli apartheid regime…it’s continuing its genocide onto the Lebanese people,” they said.
The SJP member said they are demanding TMU disclose their investments, declare a boycott on institutions located on internationally recognized Palestinian land and protect Palestinian students on campus.
The member also called on TMU President Mohamed Lachemi to “make sure his administration is not lying to students and uphold their promises.”
In an interview with The Eye, Lachemi said the university is committed to transparency regarding TMU’s investments and said the school is developing a formal process to review divestment requests from the community to “ensure all concerns are addressed.”
“We are not lying. We are very transparent,” he said.
On Sept. 5, TMU announced that it “affirms that the endowment fund is invested in an ethical pooled fund where ethical filters are applied to exclude companies engaged in such activities as firearms, military contracting and more.”
At around 3 p.m., the demonstration began heading north on Yonge Street before turning west down Bloor Street, with speakers leading the group through a series of chants including, “From the river to sea, Palestine will be free” and “Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land.”
A TMU student* at the protest said they were there to show support for Palestine and to demand transparency from the Canadian government as well as universities across the country.
“We just want to show that we’re angry. It’s not gonna die out. This is not something that’s just gonna brush away. We need to do something about this,” they said.
They added many schools in Ontario “have been trying to play both sides.”
“It’s not possible to play both sides, because one of the sides is the oppressor and one of the sides is the oppressed,” they said.
The SJP member said this has been a “very emotional time” for students as many have family in Palestine who have been facing “non-stop bombardment,” both throughout the past year, but also before Oct. 7 and the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
“A lot of people think this started a year ago and we’re here to remind people that this did not start a year ago,” they said.
According to Amnesty International, the occupation of Palestine began more than 50 years ago.
The TMU student attending the protest said they felt they had a responsibility to attend and show their support. They added that students should participate in these demonstrations and continue to demand dinvestments from their universities.
“We should just be standing up for humanity and what’s clearly going on.”
*These are TMU students and SJP members who have asked to stay anonymous due to concerns about personal safety. The Eye has verified these sources.
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