'Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around,' chanted demonstrators on Bloor Street last weekend
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ja...atest-venue-for-celebrating-houthi-hijackings
Hundreds of people gathered in Toronto’s streets this weekend to enjoy the company of like-minded people in celebrating — get this — the Houthi faction of Yemen, which declared war on civilian cargo ships in November and has since taken innocent crewmen hostage.
“Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around,” chanted pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they marched through the city’s downtown Sunday morning. The tune was catchy enough that it was repeated later that evening as protesters gathered at the intersection of Bay Street and Bloor.
The protesters shouted “Yemen,” but they were specifically encouraging the Houthis, the Islamist militants who control much of the Yemeni coast and have now taken to disrupting the 12 per cent of global shipping traffic that moves through the Red Sea. Since November, the Houthis have fired on commercial barges in solidarity with Hamas in the war with Israel, which has earned them the applause of Canada’s pro-Palestinian movement.
The Houthis have been somewhat successful at piracy: four of the world’s largest shippers are now avoiding the route, as are major oil companies like QatarEnergy and British Petroleum. The consequences are now being felt worldwide.
For the pro-Palestinian protest scene in Toronto, these disruptions amount to a decisive win. Marchers expressed their jubilation in another chant Sunday: “Gaza called, Yemen answered, all Israeli ships are cancelled.”
The ships falling under attack, by the way, come from and are destined for many different countries. This includes the India-bound, Bahamian-flagged, British-owned, Japanese-operated ship whose crew was taken hostage (the captive crewmen hail from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Mexico and Romania); because the ship allegedly has some kind of affiliation with an Israeli billionaire, this somehow justifies the kidnapping of its international crew. (Notably, Chinese-crewed ships seem to be getting a pass.)
One woman in Sunday’s march even carried a poster that read “Be Like Yemen” on the back and “Hands Off Yemen” on the front. It’s possible that this was intended to signal support for the Yemeni side in its civil war against the Houthi faction, but that seems unlikely given that it was held up during the pro-ship-attack chants. “Be Like the Houthis” is probably the more accurate way of phrasing the message.
The Houthis, to be clear, are enemy forces. Canada is a member of the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, and is therefore on the other end of the conflict with the Yemeni rebels. We may have only sent three personnel to join the mission (so far), but we’re involved nonetheless. Admittedly, the Houthis aren’t officially designated as terrorists, but they did achieve this status in the U.S. (Donald Trump listed them only for Joe Biden to unlist them. Biden is now reconsidering.)
The fact that enemy forces are being celebrated in Canada’s largest city should be of concern to anyone who cares about this country’s moral compass. The protests of today often become the political positions of tomorrow. Nobody here is obligated to applaud the Canadian Armed Forces for everything it does, but the very least we can do is not cheer for those who shoot at it. And yet, that was the scene in our largest city this weekend.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ja...atest-venue-for-celebrating-houthi-hijackings
Hundreds of people gathered in Toronto’s streets this weekend to enjoy the company of like-minded people in celebrating — get this — the Houthi faction of Yemen, which declared war on civilian cargo ships in November and has since taken innocent crewmen hostage.
“Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around,” chanted pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they marched through the city’s downtown Sunday morning. The tune was catchy enough that it was repeated later that evening as protesters gathered at the intersection of Bay Street and Bloor.
The protesters shouted “Yemen,” but they were specifically encouraging the Houthis, the Islamist militants who control much of the Yemeni coast and have now taken to disrupting the 12 per cent of global shipping traffic that moves through the Red Sea. Since November, the Houthis have fired on commercial barges in solidarity with Hamas in the war with Israel, which has earned them the applause of Canada’s pro-Palestinian movement.
The Houthis have been somewhat successful at piracy: four of the world’s largest shippers are now avoiding the route, as are major oil companies like QatarEnergy and British Petroleum. The consequences are now being felt worldwide.
For the pro-Palestinian protest scene in Toronto, these disruptions amount to a decisive win. Marchers expressed their jubilation in another chant Sunday: “Gaza called, Yemen answered, all Israeli ships are cancelled.”
The ships falling under attack, by the way, come from and are destined for many different countries. This includes the India-bound, Bahamian-flagged, British-owned, Japanese-operated ship whose crew was taken hostage (the captive crewmen hail from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Mexico and Romania); because the ship allegedly has some kind of affiliation with an Israeli billionaire, this somehow justifies the kidnapping of its international crew. (Notably, Chinese-crewed ships seem to be getting a pass.)
One woman in Sunday’s march even carried a poster that read “Be Like Yemen” on the back and “Hands Off Yemen” on the front. It’s possible that this was intended to signal support for the Yemeni side in its civil war against the Houthi faction, but that seems unlikely given that it was held up during the pro-ship-attack chants. “Be Like the Houthis” is probably the more accurate way of phrasing the message.
The Houthis, to be clear, are enemy forces. Canada is a member of the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, and is therefore on the other end of the conflict with the Yemeni rebels. We may have only sent three personnel to join the mission (so far), but we’re involved nonetheless. Admittedly, the Houthis aren’t officially designated as terrorists, but they did achieve this status in the U.S. (Donald Trump listed them only for Joe Biden to unlist them. Biden is now reconsidering.)
The fact that enemy forces are being celebrated in Canada’s largest city should be of concern to anyone who cares about this country’s moral compass. The protests of today often become the political positions of tomorrow. Nobody here is obligated to applaud the Canadian Armed Forces for everything it does, but the very least we can do is not cheer for those who shoot at it. And yet, that was the scene in our largest city this weekend.
