5,000 Montreal Protesters protest against war in Gaza

MONTREAL — At least 5,000 demonstrators chanting an array of anti-Israeli slogans converged on Montreal’s downtown core Sunday for a noisy, three-hour protest. The event attracted many families, often with young children bundled up against the cold. The size of the crowd made him “very, very happy,” declared Ahmed Benhmade, accompanied by his wife, Halima Salahiddin, their 18-month-old daughter, Safina, tightly bundled in winter gear and seated wide-eyed in a stroller. “It shows that this cause is just,” Benhmade declared. “We are here for justice and we are here for peace.” The march initially headed westbound along Montreal’s main shopping street, Ste. Catherine St., to the Westmount Square complex which houses the Israeli consulate for Montreal. At least 16 Montreal police constables.