Israeli flag stomped on, police say, as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups clash in Winnipeg
Leader of Israel group wants sides to meet and talk to 'lower the rhetoric a little'
Tempers flared and a flag was stomped as two groups — one supporting Palestinians and the other supporting Israelis — faced off in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg on Sunday.
Police, who were there to ensure the rallies took place peacefully, stepped in to separate the two groups after an Israel flag was thrown to the ground and stepped on, they said.
No arrests were made as officers moved the groups apart, warning people against igniting a physical incident.
Ron East, founder of the Israeli Canadian Council, spoke to CBC News before the groups clashed, while they stood on opposite sides of Israel Asper Way, saying the Israeli group was there for an anti-terror rally, not an anti-Palestinian rally.
East said his group chanted against Hamas and the paramilitary organization Islamic Jihad, not against Palestinians. He said his group called on the Palestinian one to unite their flags and stand together to condemn terrorism.
"This isn't about Palestinians. It's not about Israelis. It's about eradicating terror from our region, which will allow all of us to live in peace," he said.
His tone took a stark turn after the flag incident.
As police kept the road clear to maintain distance between the groups, East used a microphone to yell at the Palestinian group, calling them "pathetic losers."
On Monday, East said the taking of the Israel flag was an act of antisemitism.
"It just felt really wrong," said East.
"There needs to be some level of respect and some level of decorum."
He says his group is not looking to escalate violence, but show up to the pro-Palestinian rallies to ensure both sides of the story are present at the events.
WATCH | Tensions flare during pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian rallies in Winnipeg:
Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, says he is urging his community to stay peaceful, but emotions are running high right now.
"I can't blame them, at the same time, we really have to watch what we're doing," he told CBC on Monday.
"We are reaching out to our Winnipeg police partners to keep the other side away from these rallies, because they are coming just to try to entice us, to try to antagonize us so that we react in a negative manner."
Before it happened, Zeid said his group was there to educate people about what he called an Israeli-led genocide in Gaza.
"I want them to realize what their government is doing is they're killing people. They're killing innocent civilians. They're trying to wipe out all of the Palestinian people," Zeid said.
Hamas, a militant group that governs the Gaza strip, led an attack in Israel on Oct. 7, igniting a war that has led to intense bombing of Gaza by Israel.
Israel has said a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad caused an explosion last week that killed hundreds of people in a hospital courtyard. Palestinian officials have blamed it on an Israeli airstrike.
"This is a war that was brought on us by a terrorist organization, and Israel's going to ensure now that that terrorist organization is eradicated. The Palestinians need to look at Hamas as the cause for all their misery right now," East said.
But Zeid viewed it differently.
"This conflict isn't between Israel and Hamas, it's between Israel and Palestinian people. It's been going on for 75 years," he told CBC News before the flag incident, referring to generations of strife in the region.
East said he approached Zeid at the rally and suggested they meet at some point in an effort to "lower the rhetoric a little."
East said he's also reached out to his MLA, Obby Khan, to help arrange a meeting and act as a conciliator "to ensure that our communities here — both the Palestinian community and the Israeli community — can feel safe and secure in our city … so things don't spiral out of hand."
"I think the day that happens is the day we can start rebuilding some kind of relationship," he said. "We're not looking to bring what's happening abroad here, but at the same token, all of us are affected."
Zeid said he is open to a meeting, provided East keeps it civil.
"I'm always willing to talk as long as he doesn't yell, as long as he doesn't try to intimidate, because this isn't Israel," Zeid said.
"That's the beauty about Canada — we can agree to disagree."
Khan said Monday that he's received no formal request to set up a meeting, but the idea has been raised casually.
"We've had conversations back and forth about maybe getting together. I would be willing to sit down with them and have a conversation … and see where we can go from there," he said. He has friends on both sides, he said.
"I think everyone wants peace, and everyone wants to move forward together as a community. If I can be part of that discussion, I'm happy to do that."
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With files from Jim Agapito and Zubina Ahmed