40 people stage “die-in” in front of Israeli consulate in Toronto - Friday August 8, 8:30 am

August 7, 2014

Canadians call on government to end weapons sales to Israel

Toronto – At least 40 people are disrupting rush hour traffic on one of Toronto’s busiest roads this morning in protest against Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The “die-in” is being staged in front of the Israeli consulate at 180 Bloor Street West (just west of Avenue Road).

“Canadians don’t support the Israeli government murdering over 1900 people in Gaza, no matter what our government says,” says Reena Katz, one of the Torontonians participating in the action. Katz, who is Jewish, noted that over 400 of those deaths were children.

The “die-in” is also calling on the Canadian government and all political parties to support a ban on weapons sales to Israel, similar to the arms embargo adopted by Spain last week. Today’s Die-in organizers also want Canadians to know that their tax dollars are being invested in Israel’s killing machine through the Canadian Pension Plan that invests in corporations that directly profit from military contracts in Israel.

“We are here this morning because the Harper Conservative government has blood on its hands,” says Lyn Adamson. “Not only does our prime minister offer his political support to these attacks, but Canadian companies sell weapons to Israel that are currently being used to kill civilians. Canada should follow Spain’s lead and institute an arms embargo against Israel.”

Last week, the Government of Spain implemented an arms embargo, prohibiting weapons contracts with Israel in response to the latest attacks in Gaza. In the United Kingdom, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg voiced support on Tuesday for a similar embargo in Britain.


For more information contact:
Lyn Adamson
Phone: 416-731-6605

Judy Deutsch
Phone: 647-383-8020