MONTREAL, January 8, 2009 -- Approximately 30 people entered the lobby of the Israeli consulate this morning to serve an eviction notice to consular staff, demanding the expulsion of the Consular General and an immediate end to the Israeli invasion and siege of Gaza.
"The Canadian governments support for the ongoing atrocities in Gaza is totally unacceptable. Canada should immediately end diplomatic ties with the Israeli apartheid regime, starting with the expulsion of Israeli representatives from Canada. Since the Canadian government has refused to do so, we are taking action ourselves," said Aaron Lakoff, one of the participants.
Demonstrators arrived at the Consulate on the 6th floor of Westmount Square in Montreal, condemning consular officials in English, French and Hebrew for the massacres committed in Gaza. They blocked access to the consulate for almost two hours before being physically expelled by police. Journalists were denied access to the lobby, and two CTV and Radio-Canada cameramen were shoved into an elevator by police.
During the action, demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Fight the power, turn the tide, end Israeli apartheid!" calling for a boycott of Israel, and addressed consular officials through the intercom.
"Since the Israeli assault began, over 700 Gazans have been killed and nearly 3100 have been injured, with no place to escape the relentless bombing of schools, homes, mosques, and places of refuge. The besieged hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed," said Sophie Schoen, another organizer.
"This devastating level of violence has defined Israel since its inception, and goes hand in hand with its apartheid system. We must not forget that the vast majority of Gazans are refugees who were ethnically cleansed from other parts of Palestine with the founding of the state of Israel in 1948," said Meg Leitold to participants.
"Israeli apartheid could not continue without moral and economic support from Canada and Quebec," she said, calling for a boycott of Israel.
As police pushed them out, demonstrators left chanting "Boycottons Israel, liberez Palestine!" Similar actions will take place until Canada and Quebec cease their support for Israeli violence and apartheid.
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