Canadian police in London Ontario conducted coordinated pre-dawn raids on the homes of Palestine- and anti-war activists.

The Canadian government, it seems, is borrowing from the playbook of the UK Starmer regime’s oppressive tactics.

Around eight police per household forced their way in, seizing personal phones and laptops. This tactic, which is widely used by the UK police state, works to intimidate and harass anti-genocide campaigners and journalists.

The victims of the raids, at least one of whom is a wheelchair-user, are locally recognised Palestine activists. They included World Beyond War organiser, Rachel Small. Another is human rights campaigner, David Heap, and Pam Reano, a queer community organiser with a brain injury.

Last month, over a hundred peace activists rallied against the Ontario-held arms conference, ‘Best Defence‘. They condemned profiteering arms dealers and the government’s enabling of war crimes in Gaza.

The event’s sponsors included Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Hensoldt, Saab, and Gastops. These companies manufacture Israel’s F-35s strike aircraft and drones. Additionally, they produce other surveillance systems that Israel continues to use to bomb schools, hospitals, and refugee camps in Gaza.

In a statement, PSC Canada said:

These attacks are meant to intimidate and disrupt our movements — we can’t let that happen.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

This post was originally published on Canary.