EDITORIAL: Time to end the war on our streets

Article content

You’d never know, judging from the streets of major cities in this country, that a ceasefire has been brokered in the Middle East.

Sure, it’s a fragile peace. But it has allowed, nevertheless, the release of hostages on both sides of the war.

Yet here in Canada, protesters continue staging out-of-control demonstrations.

A leading Hezbollah leader has admitted that the organization has paid students and others in the West to protest on behalf of Hamas. They want to win the hearts and minds of university students for their cause.

It’s time for police to end this lawlessness. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the protesters have called for a ceasefire. Now that there is one, they’re still protesting. Shutting down streets, hiding behind masks and terrorizing local communities, it’s not peace in the Middle East they’re pursuing. It’s anarchy in this country.

The way the Israeli hostages were released revealed everything we need to know about Hamas. Young, vulnerable women — some displaying evidence of injuries sustained either through their captivity or in the brutal attacks of Oct. 7 —were forced to run a gauntlet of Hamas warriors. Violent young men, clad in battle fatigues and brandishing assault rifles, were clearly determined to intimidate unarmed young women right up until their release. Those aren’t brave freedom fighters.

They’re cowards.

We’re told Gaza has been reduced to rubble. The United Nations and other relief organizations plead for Western supplies.

Judging from video that emerged when the young women were released, there seems to be no shortage of AK-47s or other weaponry. Who’s supplying those armaments and how are they getting into Gaza?

Western protesters, many of whom have never visited Israel or Gaza, are supporting a nihilistic cult that doesn’t value life.

They’re shutting down our streets on behalf of violent misogynists who exploit the deeply held Western beliefs of freedom of speech and freedom of expression to put forward their perverted view of the world.

It is time to tell those who would stoke the fires of hatred in this country that enough is enough.

If there’s a ceasefire in Gaza, there can be a ceasefire on our streets.

Or perhaps the protesters don’t know what they really want. And they won’t be happy until they get it.