Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold Boxing Day protests in Montreal-area malls
Several pro-Palestinian protesters surprised Boxing Day shoppers on Tuesday by launching demonstrations inside shopping malls in the Montreal area.
Videos shared on social media showed protesters at the Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal shouting "Shut it down" and holding signs that said "Free them all. Free Palestine."
People also took their message to the streets, holding banners that said, "Ceasefire now. Lift the siege on Gaza. End complicity."
Jeanne Drouin, a police spokesperson, said the protest was peaceful and that there were no arrests.
In Laval, on Montreal's North Shore, other protesters marched through the Carrefour Laval mall on the busy shopping day as they waved Palestinian flags. Videos showed demonstrators protesting inside stores, such as Zara, as they shouted, "Hey-hey, ho-ho, the occupation's got to go."
As shoppers watched the events unfold, the group drew their attention to the 20,000 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and children — who have been killed since the beginning of the war with Israel, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The protest ended at around 5 p.m. and lasted for about two hours, according to Laval police.
Geneviève Major, a spokesperson for Laval police, said one man in his 30s was arrested for unlawful assembly and assaulting a police officer.
The protests come amid international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli military expanded its ground offensive in densely populated refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
More than 1,200 people were killed when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Israeli government is hoping to rescue the more than 100 hostages that remain captive in Gaza since the attack.
With files from The Associated Press
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