LIVE: Duelling anti- and pro-Israel protests face off in Calgary amid heavy police presence

Each Sunday afternoon for over a month, two protest groups have been organising at Calgary’s City Hall — one in support of the Jewish state of Israel, the other, Hamas supporters in favour of Palestine. The two reoccurring protests have seen arrests by the police for varying crimes and charges.

I'm here on location at the dueling protests for and against Israel at Calgary's city hall where there is expected to be heavy police presence. Last week there was nearly half dozen arrests made.https://t.co/Ar5C66zLyn pic.twitter.com/YrndmGzsbA

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 26, 2023

Rebel News' Angelica Toy is on the ground to bring you the latest updates on today's rallies on X(formerly known as twitter). 

A communist at the anti-Israel march explains why he is at the rally: "We want to eliminate imperialist interests in the Middle East and have workers take control over the means of production."https://t.co/JSMtW1MvVo pic.twitter.com/pAOCR32Sws

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 27, 2023

Pro-Hamas protesters in Calgary light smoke flares as they march through the streets calling for ceasefire.https://t.co/Ar5C66zLyn pic.twitter.com/Cad5GFgt3A

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 26, 2023

Protestor stands in Calgary with a sign calling for the end of Israel.https://t.co/Ar5C66zLyn pic.twitter.com/Gi7iaULC3b

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 26, 2023

SHOCKING: Anti-Israel protestor carries a sign comparing Israel’s Prime Minister to Adolf Hitler.https://t.co/Ar5C66zLyn pic.twitter.com/OWiK85mJNi

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 26, 2023

The pro-Israel group stands with signs with the faces of kidnapped individuals by the terrorist group Hamas, calling to bring them home.https://t.co/Ar5C66zLyn pic.twitter.com/zRz8sf2udv

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 26, 2023

On November 19, the Calgary police arrested nearly half a dozen pro-Hamas protesters who blocked the main road. Three of the five were charged with assaulting a peace officer while others were charged with obstruction of a peace officer. The police say over 1,000 rallied against Israel with roughly 200 out in support.

Several protests are expected to take place near City Hall today. Police will be on scene to monitor the event, manage public safety, keep the peace & responds to calls for service accordingly. Traffic delays are expected in the area.

For those participating in demonstrations,… pic.twitter.com/hTmmZoYJ01

— Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) November 26, 2023

Mohamed Hamdanie, 25; Wassime Taha, 30; and Wafik Kassem, 25 each have been charged by the Calgary Police Service with one count of assaulting an officer.

WATCH: Anti-Israel protesters say that it's a genocide from the Calgary police to have arrested pro-Hamas rioters last week.https://t.co/04EK75SM9d pic.twitter.com/1jnVX0eI6y

— Angelica (@_angelica_toy) November 27, 2023

The police service has warned citizens that traffic delays are expected in the area.

The two groups are expected to continue their demonstrations until further notice, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. While hostilities are currently paused between the two sides as a result of a deal to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, battle is expected to resume following what is currently a four-day ceasefire. As part of the deal, Hamas may release an additional 10 Israeli hostages for one additional day of the ceasefire, up to 10 days total.

The terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7 left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead and 240 taken captive in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces subsequent military operation has killed over 13,000 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run health ministry, numbers which do not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.