The third March for Palestine on Oct. 10, 2026, had a strange start.
Around 2 p.m., about 200 demonstrators gathered on the east side of Gaukel St.—just metres away from thousands of Oktoberfesters partying outside Kitchener City Hall.
As fiery speakers described the suffering of Palestinians after three years of genocide in Gaza to the marchers, the sound of accordions drifted in from neighbouring King St. At the same time, unbothered families in lederhosen passed by on their way to sausage vendors and concert stages.
But it wasn’t long until chants of ‘Free Palestine’ rose over the music.
As the march went up Charles St., some flew Palestinian flags and some beat drums. Many wore a Palestinian keffiyeh, a distinctly patterned black-and-white scarf that is both traditional garb and political symbol. Others displayed signs in support of Palestinian prisoners and civilians and condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For organizer Shatha Mahmoud, a grassroots activist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Network of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), the march was meant to refocus attention on Gaza and build support for practical action.
“[Our demand] is for a full two-way arms embargo on Israel,” Mahmoud, who is a Palestinian student and refugee, that still has family in Gaza, said.
The Kitchener-Waterloo Network of PYM is a coalition of university students, local Palestinians and other organizations that campaign for Palestinian causes. A current focus is the Canada-wide Arms Embargo Now campaign that pushes for a full and immediate arms embargo on Israel, including divestment from Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.
Ken Ogasawara brought a message of peace and shared humanity on behalf of Mennonite Action Canada, a faith-based activist coalition. He held a purple quilt with the words ‘Make Quilts, Not War’ sewn in its centre.
”Following Jesus means to stand up to injustice and against oppression everywhere. And in this case, we’re responding to Christian Palestinians who have asked their fellow Christian siblings around the world to stand with them in solidarity against the occupation and ongoing genocide,” Ogasawara said.
Jamie Hari, a former hopeful Waterloo mayoral candidate with no Palestinian background, came in a spirit of solidarity.
“The genocide is integrated with all the other issues [in Canada] including Indigenous issues and homelessness. It’s capitalism. Capitalism is at the root of all this evil, and Zionism is tied up too,” he said. He also questioned the hesitance of public figures to discuss the topic.
On Oct. 7, 2023, a series of coordinated attacks into southern Israel from its border on Gaza, were carried out by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups. In response, Israel launched a major military operation in Gaza. Since then, more than 74,000 Palestinian men, women and children have died in Gaza, according to several studies in the Lancet.
Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, virtually destroyed the Hamas fighting force and forced most Gazans to abandon their homes and relocate several times.
Mahmoud, who has deep ties to the Palestinian community in Waterloo Region, said the impact of the genocide locally has been profound. Many have lost family members—a fact that has only spurred her forward.
“It is our responsibility to do whatever we can,” she said.
Leave a Reply