About 800 people gather in St. John's in support of Palestinians, while calling for ceasefire

Around 800 people marched through the streets of downtown St. John's on Saturday to show their support for Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

The rally was part of a national day of action and coincided with protests in more than 30 other Canadian cities and hundreds of others being held across the world.

Peace activist Elise Thorburn said the march is focused around three demands.

"An immediate ceasefire and end to the genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza," said Thorburn, explaining the demands.

"Lifting the siege on Gaza to allow for urgent medical aid and relief efforts, and an end to Canada's complicity in Israel's war crimes."

Reem Abu-hendi, another organizer, said it's important to have these protests take place in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It's part of our solidarity with Palestinians that are in Gaza, and we have a lot of Palestinian population here as well," Abu-Hendi said. "So it's our duty to help them."

The event began with a number of speeches in Harbourside Park, followed by a march down Water Street. The protestors then gathered outside St. John's City Hall for more speeches and continued to march down Duckworth Street. 

One of the speakers was Zaid Kay, who was born in Newfoundland but is of Palestinian descent. 

"My dream is to explore the olive groves of my ancestors, to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea, to walk with my father through the home he was expelled from in 1967," Kay said.

"My dream is a secular, democratic, multicultural, binational state from the river to the sea where all people live in freedom and equality, no matter their race or religion. My dream is a free Palestine."

Speaking afterwards, Kay said people should be focusing on human rights.

"People should be coming together right now and acknowledging that what we're seeing is not right," Kay said. "As a matter of humanity, we have a duty to speak up. And I think if we don't, then our children will never forgive us and we'll live to regret it."

"We hear so much about the right of Israel to exist and to defend itself, which I don't dispute, but I wish there would be more discussion of Palestine's right to exist and defend itself," Kay said.