'Canadians are hurting and crying out that it needs to stop': PM Trudeau on Israel-Hamas war
CTV
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling out the 'unacceptable' rise in hate surfacing in Canada amid the Israel-Hamas war, and calling for Canadians to remember 'this is not who we are.' In his remarks, the prime minister also restated the Canadian government's calls for humanitarian pauses, amid continuing pushes for Canada to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling out the "unacceptable" rise in hate surfacing in Canada amid the Israel-Hamas war, and calling for Canadians to remember "this is not who we are," while pushing for a humanitarian pause long enough to get "back on track" towards a two-state solution.
"We're seeing right now a rise in antisemitism that is terrifying. Molotov cocktails thrown at synagogues, horrific threats of violence, targeting Jewish businesses, targeting Jewish daycares with hate. This needs to stop. This is something that is not acceptable in Canada, period," Trudeau said on his way in to a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday.
"And period, the rise of Islamophobia we're seeing across this country and around the world, is also unacceptable. The expressions of hate against Muslims, against Palestinians, against anyone waving a Palestinian flag. This is unacceptable. This is not who we are as Canadians."
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas, a Canadian-designated terrorist organization, launched a deadly offensive in Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel retaliated and in the weeks since has deepened its attacks in Gaza, killing more than 10,000 and displacing numerous others, in a stated effort to eradicate Hamas.
The hostilities quickly sparked emotionally-charged protests in Canada, and condemnation for some of the expressions of hate on display.
"Canadians are scared in our own streets right now. We need to make sure that Canadians are doing what we do best, which is listening to our neighbors, understanding and acknowledging our neighbours' pain, even though it may be diametrically opposed in its cause, to the same pain that we are feeling," Trudeau said.
The prime minister questioned if Canada can't "figure this out" what other country in the world could.
