Winnipeggers rally to condemn Israel's attacks on Iran, humanitarian crisis in Gaza

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 12:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

After Israel's caller attacks connected Iran, dozens of Winnipeggers lined up connected Portage Avenue to protestation the subject strikes and the ongoing warfare and humanitarian situation successful Gaza. 

The decease toll successful some countries is increasing arsenic Israel and Iran proceed to speech rocket attacks for a 3rd consecutive day, with Israel informing that worse is to come.

Early Friday morning, Israel targeted Iran's Defence Ministry office successful Tehran and sites it says were associated with Iran's atomic program in what appears to beryllium the astir important onslaught the state has faced since the 1980s.

Iranian missiles evaded Israeli aerial defences and slammed into buildings heavy wrong Israel, causing civilian casualties.

Saru Chahal was among a radical of radical who gathered extracurricular Polo Park to amusement solidarity with Iran astatine the Palestinian Association of Manitoba's play rally connected Saturday.

"A preemptive onslaught does not marque consciousness due to the fact that you are starting a war,"  Chahal said. "You can't conscionable onslaught idiosyncratic due to the fact that you deliberation they're going to onslaught you." 

In airy of Israel's attacks and the humanitarian situation successful Gaza, Chahal said the Canadian authorities should halt supporting Israel.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for Israel and Iran to workout "maximum restraint" and determination toward a diplomatic solution. He besides criticized Iran's rocket strikes portion affirming Israel's close to support itself to guarantee its security.

"It makes perfectly nary sense," Chahal said, referring to Carney's statement. "They request to stop." 

'We are peacekeepers'

At the rally, Cara Lee Fast said the Canadian authorities helped make the rules that person bonded planetary relations aft the Second World War and it is the country's work to guarantee the satellite is led accordingly. 

"We are peacekeepers. That is what Canada is," Fast said.  

Israel's attacks are "unconscionable" to Rob Cook, who decried the decease of civilians successful Iran killed by missiles. 

"There's nary mode this should beryllium going connected successful this time and time," helium said. "It needs to beryllium stopped … this can't spell on." 

Cook said participating successful the rally is simply a mode of lending his dependable for those who are enduring suffering successful Iran and Gaza.

"We … bash what we tin to hopefully aftermath immoderate politicians up and person them really commencement making immoderate factual actions."

Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, said protesters person been coming retired each Saturday for the past 18 months since the Israel-Hamas warfare began. 

He said Canada indispensable interfere and spot sanctions connected Israel. 

"We conscionable request to halt this genocide due to the fact that excessively galore guiltless radical are dying for nary crushed and that's happening connected a regular basis. Now Israel is taking the warfare to Iran for nary crushed astatine all. The satellite indispensable measurement successful earlier guiltless lives are lost," Zeid said. 

He besides called connected Canada to spell backmost to its peacekeeping roots.

"Canada has ever been a peacekeeping state and we request to get progressive much and spell backmost to peacekeeping," Zeid said. 

The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg said it is intimately monitoring the escalation of struggle successful the Middle East. 

"During this tense and uncertain time, we basal with unwavering solidarity with our Israeli household arsenic they look threats and the imaginable for further violence," Jeff Lieberman, the federation's CEO, told CBC connected Sunday. 

Lieberman said the airstrikes against Iran were indispensable to support Israel. He said Tel Aviv targeted subject sites and weapons were not straight pointed astatine civilians. 

"Iran cannot person atomic capability, and Israel is doing the satellite a favour by doing what they're doing," helium said. 

At the infinitesimal determination are nary known threats to Winnipeg's Jewish community, Lieberman said. The federation has besides cancelled a travel to Israel that was planned for adjacent week.