Tag Archives: gaza

CKMS News -2024-11-15- Cambridge manufacturer to be protested in Canada-wide day of action targeting war plane supply chain

CKMS News -2024-11-14- Cambridge manufacturer to be protested in Canada-wide day of action targeting war plane supply chain.

dan kellar
Cambridge, ON – On November 16th, a “F-35 day-of-action” will be held across the country, to highlight Canadian complicity in the ongoing violence in Palestine and Lebanon by the Israeli military, and to demand a full two-way arms embargo involving Israel. 

Arms Embargo Now, the network organizing the protests have focused on the supply chain for the F-35 war plane, which is tied to the death of thousands of civilians and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure including shelters, schools, and hospitals. In Waterloo Region at least 6 manufacturing facilities are linked to the F-35, including local protest target, the PCC Aerostructures’ Centra plant in Cambridge.

While federal liberals have put a stop to some weapons exports. CKMS News asked Liberal MPs in Cambridge Valerie Bradford and Brian May for comment but did not receive any response. CKMS News’ requests to PCC Aerostructures’ Centra for comment also went unanswered.

This show features an interview with Aamina Parkar, an organiser with the grassroots group Neighbours for Palestine Waterloo Region. Parkar discusses the day-of-action and other tactics that are being used to pressure the Canadian government.

CKMS News -2024-07-26- From celebration to commemoration, KW’s Palestinian festival shifts focus to solidarity

2024-07-26- From celebration to commemoration, KW’s Palestinian festival shifts focus to solidarity.

dan kellar
Kitchener, ON –
Due to the “urgent” situation in Gaza, organizers of this year’s
Palestine Festival in Kitchener have made the theme “Solidarity: the World Stands with Palestine”, shifting the focus from one of celebration to commemoration.  

CKMS News spoke with Suhaila Salah, a co-founder of Sporas Scattered, who along with the local chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing the 3rd annual Palestine festival with the name  Palestinian Solidarity Day.  While speaking about the shift in the festivals’ theme Salah explained, “It is not a day of mourning, it is a day to come together. We are going to commemorate.” she added,  “We still want to celebrate life”.

The Palestinian festival will take place on Sunday July 28th in the public square at Kitchener city hall from 1-9pm and features what organizers call a “packed schedule of entertainment, activities, education, and trivia games” with all donations going to support relief efforts in Gaza.

A statement CKMS News received from Global Affairs Canada about accountability for the violence Israel is inflicting in Palestine is also included in this piece.

CKMS News -2024-07-08- “A gross way to intimidate” – Independent Jewish Voices WR decries sky-banner

CKMS News -2024-07-08- “A gross way to intimidate” – Independent Jewish Voices WR decries sky-banner

dan kellar

Kitchener, ON – On Friday July 5th, a plane departed from the Region of Waterloo airport (YKF), trailing a sky-banner with religious messaging as it looped around KW for nearly two hours.  According to online flight data, the plane looped directly above the Gaza House encampment at UW several times along its route, before heading back to the airport.

CKMS News interviewed Lauren Weinberg of Independent Jewish Voices – Waterloo Region. Weinberg spoke about the “intimidating” messaging, and how she and others felt when reading the words on the banner.

CKMS News contacted YKF about the banner and was told that “The Region of Waterloo International Airport does not offer sky banner advertising and has no oversight over advertising banners.”

Contacted by CKMS News, the plane’s operator, Flite Line Charters for comment, however, the company would not divulge their client, and said that “no one is available to comment on this” situation.

CKMS News -2024-05-26- Support grows for “Gaza House” solidarity encampment at UWaterloo

CKMSNews-2024-05-26-CKMS News -2024-05-26- Support grows for “Gaza House” solidarity encampment at UWaterloo

by: dan kellar

Waterloo – The Gaza House solidarity encampment at the University of Waterloo continues to gather support while negotiations with the school’s administration have stalled. 

First, a letter of support from faculty, staff, and librarians from UW and Wilfrid Laurier University. Secondly, a statement of solidarity from the chairman of PSAC 902 which represents graduate students and teaching assistants at WLU. Then on May 25th Gaza House hosted a rally which brought out over two hundred supporters.

This show features Sarah, a student member of the encampment’s negotiating team. Sarah has requested partial anonymity due to safety concerns. CKMS News also spoke with Law Professor Irina Ceric about students’ protest rights and reactions to encampments from administration at different universities. 

CKMS News requested comment from UW administration and was told no one was available but that they “will look to see what we can do later this week”. The University has not responded to further communication.

CKMS News -2024-05-14- Gaza solidarity encampment launched at the University of Waterloo

CKMS News -2024-05-14- Gaza Solidarity Encampment Launched At the University of Waterloo

by: dan kellar

Waterloo – Dozens of people converged at the University of Waterloo’s main campus on Monday morning to launch a Gaza solidarity encampment. The group’s “OccupyUWaterloo” Instagram page calls the encampment “Gaza House”

The group says the university is complicit in the current siege on Palestinians by the Israeli military, which has resulted in over 35,000 people dead, tens of thousands more injured or missing, and the majority destruction of Gazan infrastructure, including all universities and hospitals. The group is calling for divestment from weapons manufacturers and institutions which support the occupation of Palestine, and “an end to UW’s financial and academic ties to the genocidal and apartheid state of Israel.”

These demands share similarities from the demands from encampments set up at over a dozen other universities in Canada.

This show features an interview with Gaza House encampment spokesperson Nick Joseph. Also included is the statement UW provided, and Waterloo mayor Dorothy McCabe reacting to the encampment.

 

House of Commons debate Gaza, while Kitchener families stuck in visa limbo

As the House of Commons prepares to debate the Israel-Palestine hostilities this week, several families within Kitchener say they are left powerless while their loved ones are trapped in Gaza.

Shatha Mahmoud, an organizer of the Palestinian Youth Movement in Kitchener, says that families are facing pain and terror amid the convoluted and detail-laden application process for emergency visas.

MP for Kitchener Centre, Mike Morrice, details discrepancies in the refugee visa process, the government’s response, and the March 18 parliamentary debate on the emergency visa system.

CKMS News – 2024-02-29 – Local petitioner challenges Canada’s UNRWA funding cuts with MP’s support

CKMS News – 2024-02-29 – Local petitioner challenges Canada’s UNWRA funding cuts with MP’s support

by: dan kellar:

In response to Israel’s allegations that 12 employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) approximately 30,000 workers were involved in the attacks on Israelis on October 7th 2023,  Canada immediately announced they would end funding to the agency.

Canadian officials have since admitted to CBC News that Canada has not seen any of the evidence for the claim. Additionally, Global Affairs did not respond to requests from CKMS News to explain the  decision making process for cutting funds to the largest aid agency in Palestine even as Médecins Sans Frontières says the “humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels” for millions of Palestinians.

This show features an Interview with Laurel Russwurm, an Elmira resident who authored a petition on ourcommons.ca calling for Canada to reinstate funding to UNRWA, and Kitchener Center Green Party MP Mike Morrice who supports immediately reinstating funding to the humanitarian agency.

CKMS News -2024-02-14- Arming Israel Brings Increased Risk and Scrutiny To Canada and Waterloo Region

CKMS News -2024-02-14- Arming Israel Brings Increased Risk and Scrutiny To Canada

by: dan kellar

As Canada continues supplying military equipment and components to the Israeli government amidst the attacks on Palestinians, the federal government is coming under increased scrutiny. On February 1st, the Nicaraguan government announced they were initiating action against Canada, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands at the International Court of Justice for supporting the Israeli aggression in Palestine.

While the Canadian government has repeated that the equipment sold to Israel is “non-lethal”, anti-war activists have been challenging the claim, holding protests, and along with opposition MPs, they have been calling for an arms embargo.

This show features Rachel Small of World Beyond War discussing the groups activities, and the new online map which highlights locations and production details of weapons companies involved in arming the Israeli military, including 8 locations in Waterloo Region. CKMS News also discussed accountability and transparency in the Canadian weapons industry with Kitchener-Centre Green Party MP Mike Morrice.  

CKMS News asked the ministry of International Development to confirm that the government has received letter from the Nicaraguan government regarding the initiating of actions against Canada at the ICJ for arming Israel.  John Babcock, a spokesperson for the ministry told CKMS News that “Global Affairs Canada has seen the Nicaraguan press release.”   He concluded “We are not in a position to comment further on this matter”.