This October marks two years since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza. Two years of mass killing, displacement, and starvation of a besieged civilian population—carried out with total impunity in full view of the world.
For two years, the Canadian government has chosen complicity—arming Israel, providing unwavering support, ignoring international law, and hiding behind loopholes and half-measures. It is up to us to make clear that this is unacceptable and that we refuse to allow our government to aid genocide in our name.
On Saturday, October 4, join the Palestinian Youth Movement in the streets of Kitchener-Waterloo to shut it down and demand an end to our government’s complicity in genocide. Bring your friends, your family, and your community—together we can make it impossible for our government to ignore our voices.
RiseUp For Gaza
Saturday, October 4
2:00 PM
Gaukel Block, Downtown Kitchener
There is no denying it. An extensive UN investigation recently confirmed what has long been known–a genocide is happening in Gaza. The world was warned by the International Court of Justice when it ruled a “plausible genocide” in January 2024 and issued legally binding provisional measures, including that all states must refrain from arming Israel while it is under investigation. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity. And leading genocide scholars and human rights experts have loudly sounded the alarm.
Yet the Canadian government has still not even called this a genocide. Instead, Canada remains complicit–sending and buying weapons and military technology, and providing diplomatic cover by repeating the false claim that Israel has a “right to defend itself” while it carries out atrocity crimes against the indigenous Palestinian population of the land it illegally occupies, and continues to annex, in defiance of international law.
Genocide is the crime of all crimes. It cannot be justified under any circumstances. Canada is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, which makes it our government’s responsibility not only to punish but to prevent genocide. The duty to prevent arises the moment serious risk is identified, not after it becomes politically unviable to defend the indefensible. Our government has failed, and the people of Gaza cannot be saved with symbolic gestures like state recognition—they need the bombs to stop falling, the weapons to stop flowing, the blockade to be lifted, and Canada’s complicity to end.
Here in Waterloo Region, our community is directly implicated. Our region is home to over a half-dozen weapons and technology companies exporting parts and components that fuel this genocide. This complicity stains our community and our conscience.
The responsibility to resist genocide falls on all of humanity—but especially on Canadians, whose government is actively helping to sustain it.
Your presence matters on October 4th. Together, we will show that Waterloo Region refuses to stand idly by while genocide is carried out with our government’s support.
Stop the genocide. Stop Canada’s complicity.
We will not be silent until Palestine is free.
In solidarity,
Neighbours for Palestine: Waterloo Region
KW Palestine
Neighbours4Palestine Waterloo Region
Kitchener-Waterloo