Montrealers mourn and protest to mark Oct. 7

Pro-Palestinian protesters march towards McGill University on Monday. (Angela MacKenzie, CTV News)

Montreal students and supporters showed their grief and anger at protests and vigils as they marked the anniversary of the current war between Israel and Gaza.

A vigil started at 12:30 p.m. in front of McGill University to commemorate those who were killed over the last year and show support for the hostages still being held. Though it was organized by students, people of all ages came carrying signs with names and photos of hostages and those killed on Oct. 7. 

A handful of Palestinian flags were seen flying across the street, though a heavy police presence prevented counter-protesters to approach the vigil.

Pro-Palestinian protesters met at Concordia's Hall Building at 2 p.m. in solidarity with the thousands who were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and Lebanon. They demand an end to the war and the siege on Gaza.

Monday marks one year since Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, with more trapped under rubble. The heavy bombing caused mass destruction and famine, while 90 per cent of the besieged territory's population was displaced from their homes.

McGill has been restricting access to its campuses as of Saturday and moved some classes online in anticipation of potential tensions and clashes between protesters.

"[President Deep] Saini can close campus but he will never silence the student movement," said Students for Palestine's Honour (SPHR) McGill and SPHR Concordia in an Instagram post.

Police prepare for protests and counter-protests at McGill University on Oct. 7, 2024. (Angela MacKenzie, CTV News)

More than 340 protests related to the Israel-Hamas war have taken place in Montreal since last October, with police making more than 100 arrests. Montreal police began putting more officers on the ground on Oct. 1 and said it would continue to do so until Oct. 24.

Chana Leah Natanblut, the president of Chabad Concordia, said the vigil was a way for the community to get together and mourn. She said they didn't have time to do so amid all the protests.

"It felt like the wound was just being reopened before it even had time to properly close," she said.

Leon Novodvorets, a McGill student born in Israel, said it's "been a hard year for everyone" and wants to send the message that "no one is going through this alone." 

He also said his birthplace "shouldn't have to affect any part of my relationship with my fellow students, we're here to learn."

Violence in the Middle East continued to escalate in recent months, namely in Lebanon. Israel killed more than 1,000 people and injured another 6,000 in airstrikes on Lebanon since Sept. 21 after increased rocket exchanges with militant group Hezbollah.

The pro-Palestinian protesters, most of which were students, marched from Concordia University to the McGill campus while drumming, waving Palestinian flags and chanting "free Palestine." They demanded that their institutions divest from companies they say are tied to the Israeli military and say they will continue to protest until the violence ends.

An SPHR McGill representative who wished to remain anonymous said it's important to rally and commemorate the one-year mark "since the beginning of this genocide" and demand "immediate divestment." 

"We have seen that this war is not ending and is actually expanding," she said. "The tunrout today is reaffirming that the students and the masses here in this city are not tired and they will continue mobilizing and marching for Palestine." 

Police said there were some disturbances during the pro-Palestinian march, including broken windows and graffiti, but no arrests have been made, according to Montreal police chief Fady Dagher.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in front McGill's Redpath library Monday. (Olivia O'Malley, CTV News)

Loss of life 'unjustifiable'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to social media to reiterate Canada's support of Israel while condemning Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. 

"The scale of civilian casualties since October 7 is heartbreaking and uncceptable, and all actors must comply with international law. The suffering must end," he added.

Quebec politicians also expressed their condolences to both Israelis and Palestinians.

"On this sad anniversary, we can only hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict," said Quebec Premier François Legault on X. 

Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said his thoughts are with those still waiting to hear back from their loved ones who were taken hostage. He also said the loss of civilian life in Gaza is "unjustifiable." 

"Benjamin Netanyahu's government has exceeded all limits, starting with those of international law and human compassion," he wrote on X. 

"All peoples of the world have the right to self-determination, security and peace, and this is also true for the peoples of Palestine and Israel."

With files from Angela MacKenzie and Olivia O'Malley