Rail blockade leads to arrests

Pro-palestinian supporters take to streets, tracks to call for peace

Around five pro-palestinian protesters were arrested after blocking one of Regina's most visible railways for several hours Wednesday in an attempt to “prevent the movement of goods in Canada.”

A group of about two-dozen activists also gathered nearby at the intersection of Albert Street and Saskatchewan Drive. By noon Wednesday, they were alternating standing on the overpass train tracks as part of establishing a “rail blockade” to protest the Canadian government's position regarding the war in Gaza.

“This blockade is our signal to the government that we will not stand down until a ceasefire is reached, even if that means putting our bodies on the line against the continued flow of capital,” the group said an emailed press release.

Mandla Mthembu, one of the protesters, said the event was born of frustration after having organized local events calling for a permanent ceasefire for nearly two months.

“We're just saying enough is enough. If our voices aren't enough then we'll put our bodies on the tracks and we'll advocate with our actions,” Mthembu said.

While members of the Regina Police Service were stationed nearby, no police action was conducted before print publication deadline.

A member of the Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway Police was seen talking to a protester, but the group continued with its blockade until the arrests were made before 1:30 p.m. Mthembu said officials gave the group a warning to leave.

He said CP was informed about people on the tracks and told not to send trains down the line.

In an emailed statement, CP said it was aware of the protest and “monitoring the situation.”

The demonstration was loud and energetic, with chants of “free, free, free Palestine,” as drivers of passing cars honked their horns. A banner blaring “free Palestine” was hung over the edge of the overpass.

Several protests and rallies have occurred in Saskatoon and Regina since the first attack on Oct. 7, including a sit-in at federal MP Andrew Scheer's office on Oct. 30.

Saskatchewan pledged $100,000 in aid to Israel in October, for medical supplies, in a show of “unwavering support for Israel” and “condemnation” of Hamas attacks against civilians, Premier Scott Moe said at the time.

In early November, Moe said the aid is a “one-off ” delivery similar to that given to Ukraine at the outset of Russian invasion in 2022, also a sum of $100,000.

“We saw Hamas as a terrorist group invading Israel, and we made a very similar decision,” he said, calling the initial invasion “troubling.”

He said his position remains supporting Israel “having the right to defend themselves,” adding Saskatchewan is a subnational entity with little power to force action.

The conflict has seen missile attacks from Gaza and Israeli airstrikes, with officials saying an estimated 1,400 Israelis and 15,000 Palestinians have been killed.