Written by Rahul Balasundaram
Photography by Maheeshan Sivanesan
O
n November 15, the City of Ottawa illuminated the Heritage Building of City Hall and the Human Rights Monument in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
The historic event took place on Palestine’s Independence Day, commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, and two weeks before the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, marked annually on November 29th. It also follows Canada’s recognition of the State of Palestine in September.
Despite the frigid temperatures and windy weather, Palestinian community members and allies gathered to mark the occasion, which featured speeches, musical performances, and the singing of the Palestinian national anthem.
“When you see the colours of our beautiful and beloved Palestinian flag being lit in our city and this building, that’s for tonight. But tomorrow, we get back to work.” – Ammar Afaneh, Palestinian community member
The event to mark the illumination was organized by local solidarity groups, including the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians, Labour for Palestine Ottawa, and the Palestinian Students Associations of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
According to the organizers, the City of Ottawa rejected a request to raise the Palestinian flag but instead offered the illumination and issued a proclamation recognizing November 15, 2025, as the National Day for Palestinians in Ottawa.
Illumination of the Heritage Building and the Human Rights Monument in the red, black, white and green of the Palestinian flag. (Credit: Maheeshan Sivanesan @mahees_clicks)
Speakers expressed their mixed emotions regarding the event, underlining the pride of witnessing the colours of the Palestinian flag on a municipal building while navigating the grief experienced by the Palestinian community in Ottawa over the last two years.
“This moment matters in more than just one way, but it is also a moment that builds on unimaginable pain and suffering, and we cannot stand there tonight without honouring that truth,” said Ammar Afaneh, a Palestinian community member living in Ottawa.
He underlined that Canada should go beyond the symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state and the illumination of a building. Afaneh also called on Canada to take actions such as suspending the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, which the Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East states violates international law.
“Before there can be illumination, there has to be an acknowledgement of the darkness” – Matthew Green, former MP
He also urged Canada to impose sanctions on all cabinet members of the Israeli government for Israel’s military campaign on Gaza. In June, Canada imposed sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security, and Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, for facilitating extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
“Our work has only just begun. Yes, acknowledge this moment. When you see the colours of our beautiful and beloved Palestinian flag being lit in our city and this building, that’s for tonight. But tomorrow, we get back to work,” Afaneh continued.
Amongst the audience was Matthew Green, former Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre, and Joel Harden, former Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre and a candidate in the same riding during the 2025 federal election.
“Before there can be illumination, there has to be an acknowledgement of the darkness,” said Green. The former NDP MP talked about his solidarity with Palestinian student encampments and his trip to the West Bank in January 2024, which he described as an opportunity to “bear witness and to let [Palestinians] know that they will never be forgotten.”
Another Palestinian community member in Ottawa, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared their thoughts with the Leveller about the occasion and the demands of the community at the local level.
They said that this occasion is a commemoration of the significance of Canada’s recognition of Palestine. The community member also said that must be situated in the broader context of the hardship the Palestinian community has endured in Ottawa. The community has been forced to witness their families and loved ones endure genocide in Gaza, as well as the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The community member further shared three actions that the city can take to show solidarity with the local Palestinian community: raise the Palestinian flag, recognize what has happened in Gaza as a genocide, and end any partnerships with the State of Israel, the Israeli government or Israeli cities. These partnerships would put the City of Ottawa at risk of being complicit in genocide and violating its international legal obligations.
Last year, the International Court of Justice issued an Advisory Opinion that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal and that all third-party states should desist from any activities that would support the continued occupation of Palestinian territories.
While this was a historic moment, the community member also emphasized that the Palestinian community in Ottawa has continued to demand that the city not raise the Israeli flag. These demands were made while the Palestinian community and solidarity activists called Israeli’s military campaigns a genocide, which genocide scholars, the International Court of Justice and United Nations bodies have recognized it as such.
The community member also highlighted the double standards when comparing the city’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since 2022, the city has stopped raising the Russian flag and conducting any flag-raising ceremony. “I would like to see the city act in a way that is consistent and is not contradictory to its positions that it has taken in other similar situations,” they said.
The event concluded with the performance of folk songs by Guatemalan musician Tito Medina and the singing of the Palestinian national anthem.
Attendees held flags of Palestine and Lebanon and signs of Palestinian solidarity, and listened to speakers and singer, Tito Medina. (Credit: Maheeshan Sivanesan @mahees_clicks)
The Palestinian flag was raised across the country in cities such as Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Brampton and Mississauga last weekend.
In Toronto, a man was arrested and charged after spraying a noxious substance on a community member during the event. The flag-raising ceremony, which was approved by the city and not the mayor or city council, also faced a last-minute injunction by a pro-Israel group. However, the injunction was denied, and an Ontario Superior Court judge ordered the group to pay $3,500 to cover the City of Toronto’s legal costs.
Neither Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, city councillors, nor the City of Ottawa released a statement or posted on social media recognizing the illumination and the proclamation issued by the mayor.
