London / Ontario – Zaytoun News
Local Canadian media reported that the London, Ontario Police conducted coordinated pre-dawn raids targeting the homes of several activists who support the Palestinian cause and oppose the arms trade and wars. Police seized mobile phones and laptops from these homes, in what activists described as an attempt to intimidate and silence them.
Reports indicated that the raids included well-known figures in the human rights field, including Rachel Small from the organization World BEYOND War, David Heap, and another activist named Pam Reano, who suffers from a brain injury, in addition to an activist using a wheelchair.
These raids come weeks after protests organized by over 100 activists against the Best Defence conference, which included major defense companies, some accused of supplying Israel with military systems used in Gaza.
In a press release issued by the campaign World BEYOND War, it was stated that the home of the campaign’s organizer in Canada, Rachel Small, along with three other peace activists, was raided by police before dawn on Tuesday, apparently to frighten and intimidate them.
The statement added that five people have been criminally charged for nonviolently standing up against war criminals at the London, Ontario arms fair last month, organized by companies such as Elbit, Lockheed Martin, and other weapons manufacturers.
The campaign said that on Tuesday, October 21, more than a hundred people gathered at dawn in London, Ontario, to disrupt one of Canada’s leading military trade shows. Unexpectedly, they blockaded the entrances, preventing companies, military personnel, and government representatives, who had been arming genocide and profiting from wars, from entering.
According to the statement, this action helped expose Canada’s complicity in war crimes at home and abroad, and raised demands for an arms embargo on Israel and an end to Canada’s military expansion. The event was covered by major local and national media outlets.
On the other hand, the Canadian police have not issued any official statements clarifying the reasons for the raids or the charges against the activists, while human rights organizations have called for greater transparency and respect for civil liberties, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.
41 Total Count
