About 6,000 people turned out in downtown Montreal to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day. The rally took place at its usual downtown location following last year’s unsuccessful relocation to the mainly Jewish suburb of Cote Saint-Luc. A heavy police contingent was on hand following reports that a large anti-Zionist rally was expected nearby.
Ultimately the sole anti-Zionists were some 25 members of the Neturei Karta, a Chasidic sect that opposes the Jewish state. They chanted anti-Israel slogans and waved Palestinian flags and signs condemning Israel from behind protective barricades and a wall of police officers. There was no violence.
Jewish community leaders addressed a crowd that included politicians such as Stockwell Day, a prominent member of the ruling federal Progressive Conservative Party, and Stephane Dion, leader of the opposition Liberal Party of Canada; as well as Irwin Cotler, a politician and Montreal human rights lawyer.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
