Terry Newman: Montreal anti-Zionists laud terror on Oct. 7 anniversary

MONTREAL — Wednesday was the third anniversary of Hamas’s brutal October 7 attacks. This year, unlike last, few students showed up to celebrate on McGill University’s campus where Jewish students held a vigil on its field. A small crowd organized by Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) McGill appeared at the Roddick Gates at 2 p.m. but were drowned out by a counter-protest of Quebecois and Iranians.

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But after 6 p.m., Montreal for Palestine, an anti-Zionist group that has occupied the streets of Montreal consistently since the attacks, made a larger and more virulent showing. When I asked one of its leaders why they were inverting October 7 — a day that could easily be referred to as an attempted genocide of Israelis — one of its leaders made it clear that they had no qualms about the attacks by the terrorist group Hamas on that day.

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While several anti-Zionist events were planned for downtown Montreal on the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel, in which about 1,200 were killed and 251 were abducted, the daytime campus events were nothing like the ones I reported on last year, when thousands of students and some teachers amassed on McGill’s lawn after migrating from Concordia University.

Like last year, 9/11 propaganda flyers were handed out, and some “Profs for Palestine” made an appearance at McGill, but the day was nothing like last year. On this third anniversary, Jews with Israeli flags held a peaceful, undisturbed vigil on the campus lawn.

At 2 p.m., a group with Quebec and Iranian Lion and Sun flags gathered outside the university’s Roddick Gates to counter the SPHR rally taking place at the same time. Police stood between the two groups. SPHR chanted the usual phrases but were drowned out by the other group, which shouted, “Houthi, Hamas, Hezbollah — terrorists, terrorists,” and whose speaker, Iranian Ayrik Armani, told them, “You have never respected Canada. You have never respected Quebec,” and reminded them that they had smashed university windows, among other things.

Like last year, the evening rally was a hellscape, though with fewer numbers. That’s because these evening protests are organized by Montreal for Palestine, a group that has occupied Montreal’s streets for the last three years.

At 6 p.m., Montreal for Palestine gathered at the Roddick Gates and prepped protesters for their march. They included their usual chants: “From the river to the sea,”Long live the intifada” and “One solution … revolution.” One of its leaders, Bara Abuhamed, opened with a short prayer and said he supports Indigenous-Canadians in their “fight against the occupiers,” meaning other Canadians.

Bara opens with a prayer. It's much shorter than usual. He says a land acknowledgment, that he supports Canandian Indigenous in their "fight against the occupiers." He says, "Three years, and we are not here to beg..." pic.twitter.com/hYkX31UlCc

— Terry Newman (@terrynewman) October 8, 2026

He said it had been “three years, and we are not here to beg,” and asked protesters what their excuse was for not showing up when called to jihad. Abuhamed told the crowd that it’s been three years since the resistance “tried to break the siege,” and that they “did it with dignity.”

The crowd was told that if their heart doesn’t beat with Palestine, that they are “dead” and “not human.” No words were spoken about hearts beating for Israelis.

At one point, organizers paraded out a man they claimed was a Jew from New York, who told the crowd he is happy Zohran Mamdani is mayor, but also had nothing to say about the Israelis and civilians from 52 other countries who were murdered or taken hostage by Hamas three years before.

They parade out someone they claim is a Jew from New York who's happy about Mamdani being mayor and also has nothing to say about Jews being murdered by Hamas on this date three years ago. pic.twitter.com/td2HycFLEW

— Terry Newman (@terrynewman) October 8, 2026

Later in the evening, two men, one carrying a debit terminal and another carrying a plastic box to take donations for “Hands for Charity,” chanted along with the protesters: “All Zionists are racists. All Zionists are terrorists.”

When the chant, "All Zionists are racists. All Zionists are terrorists," rings out, a guy carrying a plastic donation box for Gaza and another guy carrying a debit machine, get caught chanting (second video). Does that break any charity rules? When they realize I was recording,… pic.twitter.com/TcjV6b6BrH

— Terry Newman (@terrynewman) October 8, 2026

Abuhamed had difficulty explaining what October 7 “symbolizes,” settling on, “since then, the genocide has been televised,” and that the whole world “saw the truth of the resistance and the truth of the Zionists, and that it’s up to them to choose.”

The symbolism that seems to be celebrated here is the fact that Israel defended itself, went into Gaza to get its hostages from Hamas and that the rest of the world has been convinced to see Israel as the aggressor.

The crowd was unironically asked how much it takes to be human, while being told that October 7 wasn’t about October 7, it was about Oct. 6 and Oct. 5.

Bara asks how much it takes to be human, missing the irony of him not mentioning the October 7th attacks. He then starts talking about "propaganda," "Western media" and the "Zionist entity." Oh, and apparently, it wasn't about October 7th, it was about October 6th and 5th... pic.twitter.com/GCwourwz9l

— Terry Newman (@terrynewman) October 8, 2026

Abuhamed echoed this later in the evening, when he approached me alongside an individual whose face was completely wrapped in a keffiyeh, narcissistically opened his sweater to reveal his chest and told me I was obsessed with him. He then tried to convince a CBC reporter walking beside me that I was a racist. At this point, I asked him if he supported Hamas, yes or no, which he refused to answer. He also refused to explain why they chose this night.

Instead, he asked me, “Don’t you have kids?” and then suggested to police nearby that I had victimized him — talk about symbolism.

I already knew the answer about whether they support Hamas. During the protest, a sign depicting Abu Obeid, the masked military spokesperson of Hamas, with his finger in the air could be seen in the crowd.

For some reason, Montreal continues to babysit this group at taxpayers’ expense, despite the fact that they have repeatedly called for jihad in our streets, spew hateful anti-Zionist rhetoric, carry signs glorifying terrorists and have inverted the October 7 attacks and celebrate them annually. If the government has concluded that antisemitism includes anti-Zionism, why is this still happening?

National Post

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