Vancouver Oct. 7th memorial attendees stay strong amid pro-Hamas protests

A Vancouver synagogue was host to a memorial for victims of the Oct. 7th Hamas attack against Israel, while just kilometres away a pro-Hamas demonstration erupted, igniting tensions across the city.

On Monday evening, a community-wide memorial took place at Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck Synagogue to mark the one-year anniversary of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

The brutal massacre claimed approximately 1,200 lives, including eight Canadians. Additionally, over 200 hostages were taken, including babies. Many have since been murdered, with around 101 still remaining in captivity.

Rebel News was on site at the heavily guarded event, speaking with attendees about how their community has changed since the attack and how the tragedy might influence their votes in British Columbia's October 19 general election. Rebel News also gathered opinions on the recent anti-Israel demonstrations occurring across the country, including those held on the anniversary of October 7th.

“I can’t speak to when this ends, I don’t have control over that, but I’ll tell you who does. Hamas has control over it,” Ezra S. Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which co-organized the memorial, told Rebel News.

“They could end the war right this very second by letting the Palestinians go free and letting our hostages go free,” added Shanken.

Around the same time as the memorial, an anti-Jewish “mobile to act” demonstration, organized by the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Network — deemed a terrorist organization in some countries — took place 4km away at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Footage from that so-called protest showed participants chanting, “We are Hezbollah, we are Hamas,” burning the Canadian flag, and calling for “death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel.”

Despite the attendance of both B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, and Premier David Eby, leader of the B.C. NDP, at the Schara Tzedeck Synagogue memorial, Rebel News could only find a statement from Rustad specifically condemning the blatant display of hatred toward Jews and Western society.

In a video pinned to the top of Rustad’s X account at the time of this report’s publication, Rustad denounced the celebration of terrorism, pledging that if his party forms government it would not bow to violent mobs.

“I find this sort of violence completely unacceptable. This kind of hate should have no place in British Columbia, and we have a premier who is silent on it,” Rustad stated.

The Conservative Party of B.C. has since released a statement calling on the federal government to designate the Samidoun group as a terrorist organization.

PETITION: Canada Stands With Israel!

12,010 signatures
Goal: 20000 signatures

Please sign our letter of solidarity with Israel and its people. We will hand-deliver this letter to the Embassy of Israel in Ottawa, to let them know that Canada stands with them and against terrorism.

Will you sign?

Drea Humphrey

B.C. Bureau Chief

Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.

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