By Ashton Starr
After one year of fundraising for the legal defence of Ottawa Palestinian solidarity activists, the local chapter of Labour For Palestine (L4P) spoke to The Leveller about the increased need for support. The organization’s website states the fund has financially assisted those receiving bylaw tickets related to alleged noise violations for using megaphones at protests, as well as legal costs associated with arrests and charges resulting from the protests and other solidarity actions.
“Fundraising in Toronto started in November 2023 … and had raised over $99,000 by March 2024”
Since the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7th, 2023, weekly rallies and marches have been held in Ottawa’s downtown core, protesting the escalating military actions by Israel in Gaza. The Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street was a regular rallying point. Their marches would take place down Rideau Street and throughout the Byward Market, regularly reaching thousands of participants. As Israel continued a bombing campaign, killing thousands of civilians, medical workers and journalists, Ottawa’s protests grew. Solidarity activists have cited the most recent military actions as a continuation of genocide against Palestinians.

At a December 23rd, 2023 rally, bylaw tickets were issued to Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden and Public Service Alliance of Canada VP Alex Silas, who spoke publicly on the matter. In regards to the tickets, the Ottawa Citizen reported that Silas said “they want to silence and stop our movement,” and Harden echoed “silencing Palestinian solidarity when genocide is happening is wrong.” Harden was also photographed holding his $490 bylaw ticket.
The following week, nine more $490 tickets were issued, CBC reported.
The Ottawa Community Defence Fund for Palestine Solidarity was established in January 2024 after Ottawa Police Services (OPS) and Bylaw escalated issuing tickets and making arrests of protesters. L4P said that their Fund was modelled after the community defence fund established by Toronto’s chapters of Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). Fundraising in Toronto started in November 2023 following the arrests of Palestinian solidarity activists in alleged cases of vandalism, and had raised over $99,000 by March 2024.
Alongside L4P, the Ottawa Fund is coordinated with the local PYM and Ottawa’s chapter of Independent Jewish Voices. L4P coordinator and UNIFOR Local 2525 member Shaheen Lotun, spoke to The Leveller about the Fund’s success. “The community has been incredible with the funds we raised so far,” she said. “Community groups came together organically to fundraise for us.”
Advertising on social media, a variety of community-run bake sales, concerts and craft sales have all been organized throughout the year with proceeds going towards the Fund. As well, individuals and activists have shared and written about the importance of the Fund, encouraging others to donate through e-transfers.
While L4P has not publicized protesters who have received their financial support, multiple arrests took place on Monday, November 18, 2024. According to the CBC, three OPS officers made another arrest of an organizer with PYM as they sat outside of the headquarters the following Sunday. Protests erupted at the OPS headquarters on Elgin Street, just a few blocks away from the Human Rights Monument.

“A union member who had the foresight to suggest starting this [Fund] because of the practical nature of helping community members with tickets but also as a form of mutual aid” Lotun told The Leveller. L4P and members noticed the increase of OPS presence at protests before the fund was formed, and they recognized that “protesting a genocide makes us a threat to law enforcement.”
Similarly in Toronto, arrests were made by police of protesters as far back as December, 2023. In one case, a protester was filmed being arrested by three police officers; two pinning him face-down on the street while one repeatedly thrust their knee and shin into the back of the protesters’ head and neck. The officer maintained that this did not occur, and the protester was being charged with assault and obstructing a peace officer, which were subsequently dropped a year later, CBC reported.
Aside from tickets and arrests, L4P offers referrals to labour lawyers for employees facing workplace reprisals for pro-Palestinian sentiment on the job. “We want to see unions take leadership on this issue” Lotun stated, “it’s not dissimilar to what unions already do.”
As union activists, L4P recognized that the labour movement is both capable and responsible for making social change on international issues. Unions were important in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, Lotun credited the former president of the (CAW) union, Bob White for organizing boycotts among the labour movement in the 1980’s. Canadian Dimension cataloged some of these historical actions that included work stoppages in support of the boycott.
“keep Palestine on the agenda and that it’s a labour issue – the labour movement is global.”
In 2006, CUPE Ontario passed a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctioning (BDS) of Israel, recognizing the Palestinian right to self-determination. The BDS list has grown to include other national and provincial unions, including PSAC in 2012, UNIFOR in 2017 and OPSEU and CAPE in 2024.
Recently, Carleton’s own CUASA signed on to BDS, as well as the GSA and CUSA in 2012 and 2024 respectively. Each organization has called on the university to suspend its involvement in Israeli war crimes and divest from companies that are complicit in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.

“If you look at any of the major unions, a lot of them have social justice funds, do work around human rights and health and safety,” Lotun continued. “Those are all core things that apply to the issue of Palestine.”
L4P has supported over one dozen workplace issues, some of which include walking the worker through a grievance or human rights complaint process. Lotun stated that non-union workers have “a level of protection that is not there without a union,” and that they will offer contacts for a lawyer familiar with anti-Palestinian sentiment by employers.
As well as supporting international human rights, unions “raise the standards of everyone and all workers,” whether that is improved wages or health and safety benefits on the job and throughout industries – unionized or not. Lotun spoke to us about the importance of unionized workers to be engaged with their workplace’s union, by attending meetings and conventions to “keep Palestine on the agenda and that it’s a labour issue – the labour movement is global.”
Reminiscent of work to fight South African Apartheid, unions can fight for an arms embargo on Israel. It would have an impact on jobs, union activists and Lotun recognize, but it “really is a way we can imagine a better future.”