By Lucas-Matthew Marsh

More than a hundred punk fans gathered in the basement of St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood to rally support for Palestinians during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The benefit show, titled “Three Years of Genocide, Three Years of Resistance,” was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine TMU (SJP), underground event organizer Licentia, and Toronto-based zine collective SHOUT!, the night brought together three Toronto bands—Lovice, Heat and Glove—to raise money and awareness for 11 families in Gaza.

Josephine Eyford, co-founder of SHOUT!, said each band featured in the lineup had a preexisting relationship with the collective.

Before the first band took the stage, an anonymous speaker from SJP stepped up to the mic to remind the crowd why they were there.

“Two years ago today marked three years since the zionist attacks,” the speaker said.

“Shame,” the crowd interrupted before they could finish.

The call-and-response echoed throughout the basement all night, each time a new speaker addressed the crowd.

When a speaker denounced Toronto Metropolitan University for “complicity” in the violence, the crowd called back “shame.”

From “nu metal” to “indie rock,” Eyford prioritized bands they worked with in the past and knew “support the cause.”

Eyford admitted the event was less of a “punk show” for the music, but nevertheless had “punk values” at its heart.

“At its core [punk is about] helping…the underprivileged and the people that are not being spotlighted in the way that they should be,” Eyford said.

For PJ Weinert, lead vocalist of Heat, it was only natural that the punk scene and the free Palestine movement go hand in hand.

“The punk scene is always the kind of people to, instead of talking about shit, they get up and do some shit,” Weinert said.

Around the edge of the pit, vendors and activist groups set up tables, some selling traditional Palestinian keffiyehs and ceramics.

Among them was Mohammed Musallam, who runs 48Embroidery, a Palestinian embroidery business out of Mississauga.

“We created this business to focus and represent Palestinian visual identity,” Musallam said.

Musallam, who once taught art in Gaza, moved to Canada a decade ago. Since then, he has used his business to raise awareness about Palestinian identity.

“Look what happened to my people in 1948,” Musallam said. “And you can know the facts.”

Ever since the Nakba, Palestinians have faced displacement, discrimination and violence connected to Israeli state policy, according to the The Canadian Museum of Human Rights.

The latest chapter began when Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which saw more than 1,100 killed.

Several NGOs, including the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, have called the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

An estimated 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Between sets, the music stopped so the crowd could listen to video testimonies of several families in Gaza—the beneficiaries of last week’s show.

Musallam said he planned to donate part of his sales to families affected by the violence.

“When you stand with Palestine, now you stand with humanity,” Musallam said. “We are people looking for our freedom, to live in peace.”

Attendee Chris Adamo has been part of Toronto’s punk scene for years. He said he was grateful to see younger fans show up to support the cause.

“Things have slowed down on social media, so people tend to keep less and less eye on it,” Adamo said. “I’ve seen fans really show support and keep that alive and reminding everybody, this is still going on and we still have to show up.”

Eyford told the crowd that their support and the sense of safety in the room is what keeps the organizers coming back.

“Every single one of you in the crowd is why we do this,” Eyford said.