We brought the Open Letter written to the President and VP from USA medical professionals who’ve served in Gaza, to the embassy here in Ottawa. The following is a record of these two actions that took place, in late October 2024.
The first action was on October 24, from 11:00am to 7:00pm. The purpose of this was to be there while the workers in the embassy were there, and for the regular weekday workday people in the area (the Byward Market) to see a presence of resistance against the USA enabling Israel’s atrocities. Two photos are further below.
The actions were focused around the GazaHealthcareLetters.org – open letters written by medical professionals who’ve served in Gaza over the past year, written to their respective country leadership.
The letter by the USA healthcare workers was printed in big – four 3.5’x2′ poster panels, plus a ‘cover page’ which also included reference to the Canada and UK letters.
Here’s the official announcement for the Saturday October 26 action:
Today at USA Embassy in Ottawa:
“Biden/Harris: End This Madness Now!” (Gaza)
TODAY we take the message of Medical Professionals who’ve served in Gaza over the past year, to the Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa.
WHEN: 11:00am – 1:30pm, Saturday 26 October [Followed by 2pm “From Gaza To Beirut” protest]
WHERE: USA Embassy, 490 Sussex Dr, Ottawa [2pm protest at Human Rights Monument, Elgin St]
WHAT: “Biden/Harris: End this madness now!” action for the people of Gaza
Signed by almost 100 American Medical Professionals, the USA letter of October 2nd documents the “crimes beyond comprehension” committed by Israel these health care workers became witnesses to.
It includes a request to meet with the USA President and VP, and a set of vital steps for them to take.
In short:
- Stop breaking USA law that prohibits arming Israel while it continues committing these crimes;
- Withdraw all military, economic, and diplomatic support for Israel, until a ceasefire is reached;
- Impose an arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian armed groups, until a ceasefire is reached;
- The re-opening of the Rafah Crossing, unfettered aid delivery and adequate water provision in Gaza;
- Full and unrestricted access of medical and surgical professionals and equipment in Gaza.
As the situation in Gaza grows increasingly more horrific,
we will not and can not tolerate what Israel is doing, nor any support for it.
When will it stop?
Despite the continuing efforts to dehumanize them, the people in Gaza are people just like you.
Despite the continuing efforts to minimize and disappear the facts of what is happening to them.
What would you want people to do, if you were experiencing what the people of Gaza are?
Website of Open Letters by USA, Canadian, and UK Medical Professionals to respective countries:
www.GazaHealthcareLetters.org
The other action was two days earlier, Thursday October 24 from 11:00am – 7:00pm.
Even though less people can make actions during regular workday hours, that is when the workers in the embassy are there.
Two photos:
This TruthAboutPalestine.com banner that has a continually-updated count of children killed by Israel, as well as a slightly smaller one reading “End The Genocide In Gaza,” are making many appearances around Ottawa on highway overpasses, outside Senators hockey games, etc, due to the ongoing efforts of a committed collective of concerned people.
These two actions were rather last-minute, with short notice for people to know they were happening and to come.
The urgency of the situation in Gaza was the main reason for this. But also these actions were able to sandwich around a Fundraising Gala that was taking place the Friday evening, focused on the medical and health situation in Gaza.
The announcement of the Thursday action included promotion for the Gala; on Friday morning the Gala organizers announced all tickets were sold.
There was also the global call to ‘Surround The Embassies’ (Israel’s and USA’s) around the days of these actions – mostly taken up by people in Arab countries, though also London UK does have an encampment outside the US embassy there – though we definitely didn’t have enough turnout to surround this embassy.
Along with having a physical presence to demonstrate opposition to the USA complicit enabling of Israel committing genocide, another primary achievement of the actions was to be able talk with a lot of people passing by, and hand out flyers to even more.
Here is one of the flyers: a quarter-page handout with a short description of what Israel is doing to Gaza, and with links to the GazaHealthcareLetters site as well as to CJPME, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. You can print more of these flyers to distribute yourself, from linktr.ee/GazaSolidarityFlyer
Another intended aim of these actions was to inspire others to do different things.
The big printed poster-board version of the USA letter is available in Ottawa for display at other events: two possibilities where it may turn up are the November 4th and November 6th film screenings at the Ottawa Art Gallery.
If you’re interested in having it for display elsewhere, please reach out. And if you’re elsewhere and might want to consider printing it for where you’re at, here are the PDF versions just in case: cover page = one 3′ x 2.5‘, and letter body = four 3.5′ x 2′.
The letters are a good tool – they provide detailed first-hand witness accounts from some of the only ‘neutral’ observers permitted to enter the territory – but you don’t need them: just make sure you’re doing something and not sustaining the status quo.
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