Hamas victims’ families and Canadian Jewish groups are condemning anti-Israel protesters’ plans for events commemorating the “martyrs of Palestine” on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
“When you think they can’t sink any lower, they do,” said Raquel Look, a Montreal woman whose son, Alexandre, was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, after attending the Nova Music Festival in Re’im, southern Israel.
Alexandre, a 33-year-old Canadian who lived and worked in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was in Israel on vacation when he was killed, said his mom.
“I had to wait three weeks for Alex’s body to come home, and it was a hell I don’t wish upon anyone,” she said.
Social media posts indicate there are events planned at several Canadian universities, including Concordia, McGill and the University of Toronto, that would appear to glorify the October 7 attacks.
An event at the University of Toronto Mississauga will be, “honouring our martyrs,” says social media post from the the school’s students’ union, which promotes a gathering slated for 3 p.m. Tuesday outside the school’s student centre.
“We remember our martyrs, we honour their legacy, and we continue the fight for a free Palestine,” says the Instagram post from the school’s student union.
An Instagram account dubbed “Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill” posted a notice about an Oct. 7 rally planned for 1 p.m. at Concordia’s Hall Building. “It is time for students to take action in support of Palestine and its resistance,” says the post.
Jewish students and faculty members at some Canadian universities have complained in recent years about not feeling safe on campus. Some say they have been attacked, and others say they have experienced antisemitism.
Last year, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warned that the Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in “violent rhetoric” from “extremist actors” that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence.
Two years ago, Hamas gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage. In response, the Israeli military launched a campaign against Hamas that the terror group’s health ministry in Gaza says has killed an estimated 67,139 people. Israel disputes those figures, which include both fighters and civilians.
Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, wrote Sunday on social media that western countries have seen “radicalization and the glorification of terrorism lead to violence against Jews in the Diaspora.”
“Now on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, it pains me to learn of a series of events planned in cities across Canada to commemorate the ‘martyrs’ of October 7,” Moed wrote on X.
Any attempt to “honour or legitimize the perpetrators of such violence is not only deeply hurtful to Israelis and Jews everywhere but also stands in direct contradiction to the fundamental values of democracy, decency, and respect for human life,” Moed wrote.
He urged “all Canadians—regardless of background or beliefs—to stand up against hate in any form. Let us unite in condemning these commemorations and ensure that Canada remains a place where hate, violence, and the glorification of terror have no place.”
The ambassador called “on Canadian leaders from all parties and levels of government to join (him) in rejecting messages of hate and remembering the victims whose lives were stolen on October 7.”
On that day, Look said that Alexandre had phoned her early in the morning as he left the Nova music festival, telling her that there had been a terrorist attack. Along with his friends, Alexandre drove to a shelter about 15 minutes away from the festival site. He was on the phone with his mother until he said in Hebrew: “There’s a lot of them. Mommy, I can’t talk now.”
He dropped the phone, she said. “And we heard what we later found out was him fighting with the first terrorist. He actually managed to disarm the first one. And then we heard shots, lots of shots, and sounds of grenades.”
Look was huddled by the phone with her husband and Alexandre’s younger sister as the attack unfolded. “We were just nestled together, in total shock, crying.”
Of the nine people Alexandre Look had attended the music festival with, four were killed, said his mom.
Neither of the student groups hosting Tuesday’s events responded Monday to interview requests from National Post.
Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s director of research and advocacy, condemned the events.
“It is disgraceful that, on Canadian streets, some now plan vigils that celebrate the atrocities that claimed thousands of lives, including eight Canadians,” said Robertson’s statement.
“The celebration of terrorism is not a form of free expression. It is an insult to every victim of violence and a betrayal of Canadian values.”
He urged Canadians not to “look away while extremists attempt to recast barbarism as resistance. Every public celebration of terror erodes the safety, decency, and unity that bind this country together. Those who cherish freedom and democracy must respond with moral clarity and unwavering resolve, standing firmly for human dignity.”
The Jewish service organization urged “our civic leaders, universities, and law enforcement to take clear action to ensure our public spaces are never used to promote or justify acts of terror.”
Canadians should be alarmed “to see terrorists openly memorialized and treated as heroes in the streets of our country,” said a statement from Noah Shack, chief executive officer at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
“Just days ago in Manchester, we saw how pro-Hamas extremism is fueling acts of horrific violence against Jews. In response to these rallies celebrating Canadian-listed terrorist groups on Canadian campuses and other public spaces, authorities must be vigilant in ensuring that anyone who breaks the law is held accountable. At all levels, government must act to end the mass incitement happening in our country.”
The Jewish student organization Hillel took to social media Sunday offering to walk Montreal students to class Tuesday and looking for volunteers who are willing to accompany them.
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