Tensions flared Wednesday afternoon, May 15, 2024, at Oakville town hall as multiple groups of students and locals protesting opposing sides regarding the war conflict between Isreal and Palestine.
High school students supporting Palestine were met by Oakville residents waving Canadian and Israeli flags. Many of them held signs in support of Canada, and some held signs denouncing Hamas and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
What was scheduled as a student-led walkout by students at White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) in support of Palestine was met with opposing viewpoints at Oakville town hall earlier this afternoon. WOSS is located just over 1km away from town hall, or a 15 minute walk.
A small number of Oakville residents stood outside the town hall with Canadian and Israeli flags before the students showed up, many of whom were concerned about the reasons students were taking part in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
This is the latest protest in what has become a growing list of local demonstrations regarding the Israel/Palestine war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza - there have been several events throughout Oakville over the last five months, including one near-riot in downtown Oakville back in February.
Read more here: Hundreds attend Palestine support protest, closing downtown Oakville
An Oakville resident standing with a Canadian flag named Christine told Oakville News, "I hope we are a demonstration that says, they are Canadians, we are Canadians, and we should all be standing for Canadian values and to uphold our lifestyle."
"When we see protests that are possibly, from what they're saying, antisemitic and terrorist ideologies," Christine continued, "I just don't feel that we can sit around and not say something."
When the students arrived, many of them were wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags. Some students gave the middle finger to residents standing with the Canadian and Israeli flags in addition to yelling profanity at them, especially about Israel.
The crowd initially started at a moderate size, but quickly grew to over one hundred and fifty people.
The students yelled chants including "free Palestine," "ceasefire now," "from the river to the sea," and "in our millions, and our billions, we are all Palestinians."
The counter-protesters repeatedly sung the Canadian national anthem, but were drowned out by the megaphones and the sheer volume of pro-Palestinian students in attendance.
Some protesters standing on the pro-Palestine side were from a group called the Oakville Communists, who were there with pamphlets and literature discussing communism and Marxism in Canada, saying, "it will be a revolution."
Oakville News reporters made several attempts to ask students about their cause, but most of them declined to speak and the ones who did comment asked not to be quoted or named.
The only sentiment from the pro-Palestinian crowd was from two non-students who said they believe that the students have been exposed to the realities of the conflict in Gaza through social media which has constructed their understanding.
They said that the Canadian government is not taking this conflict seriously - which has now pushed the students "to take action" themselves.
They noted that it's not only Muslims supporting this cause, and that the conflict has been going on for a very long time and people are just now "waking up" to its reality.
Halton Police officers were on scene and kept the crowd under control. Normally officers in Halton do not wear body cameras, but for today officers did have them on for the demonstration.
The students eventually left town hall and marched up Trafalgar Road before returning shortly after. The chants continued and some supporters from both sides had debates on their own, sharing their viewpoints and trying to understand the other side.
Liz Galvin, an Oakville resident, was in attendance and was stunned by her encounters with the crowd.
"I think it's sad that these kids are so angry about something that has nothing to do with them," said Galvin.
"I would like to see their anger directed towards the things that are going wrong in our education system. I'd like to see their efforts put towards helping homeless people in Canada, or any of the problems that Canada itself is having. This is their country, why aren't they fighting for it?"
Galvin continued, saying that she and many of the others were sad that none of the students joined in when the Canadian national anthem was sung. "It doesn't bode well for our future," said Galvin.
The event concluded without any injuries or physical confrontations. Police remained on scene until everyone left peacefully, just under two hours from when the protest began.
This is the third protest on this subject that has occurred at Town Hall in 2024 - the first was back in early February after a divisive town council meeting.
Tyler Collins contributed additional reporting to this story.