Anti-Israel war protesters arrested following sit-in at parliamentary building

By David Baxter, The Canadian Press on December 3, 2024.

An antiwar protester has handcuffs adjusted by an officer from the Parliamentary Protective Service outside of the Confederation Building near Parliament Hill during a sit-in styled protest calling for an arms embargo against Israel in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA – Fourteen people were arrested on Parliament Hill this morning after staging a sit-in demanding Canada immediately stop sending any weapons to Israel.

The protesters from Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the entrance to the Confederation Building which contains dozens of offices for members of Parliament.

The group filled the inner entryway and stairs as parliamentarians and staff arrived for work and organizers say the location was chosen to take the message straight to MPs.

In September Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Canada would restrict Canadian-made arms and munitions from reaching the Gaza Strip, after the U.S. State Department approved the purchase and sale of 50,000 high explosive mortar cartridges with fuses made in Quebec.

The Parliamentary Protective Service says all 14 people detained were issued trespass notices and released.

It referred any questions on charges to the Ottawa Police Service which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.