Protesters Block ‘Bloodstained Doors’ of North America’s Largest Arms Fair Amid Fresh Atrocities

PHOTOS/VIDEOS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iiOGn9ZQfjtZnYW2lP5pK_xBNiyVz7NM?usp=sharing
Photos and videos will be added on a rolling basis throughout the day.

OTTAWA, ON – Hundreds from across the country converged this morning to shut down CANSEC, Canada’s largest weapons and military convention, as Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza claims the lives of thousands more Palestinians—the majority of them women and children. Protesters blocked entrances to the EY Centre, directly confronting Israeli and Canadian military representatives and exposing the complicity of arms manufacturers in the ongoing genocide.


The demonstration, organized by a coalition including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Labour for Palestine Ottawa, World BEYOND War, the International League of People’s Struggle in Canada, and others, comes as new horrors circulate online: a six-year-old Palestinian girl’s harrowing escape from a school firebombing, and the bodies of nine siblings killed in a single Israeli airstrike—just the latest in a series of atrocities enabled by the weapons sold and showcased at CANSEC.

“Palestinian children are being burned alive and torn apart in Israel’s relentless bombardment of schools, hospitals, and shelters. The very people enabling and profiting from this horror—those supplying the weapons that have slaughtered tens of thousands of Palestinians—are gathering right here at CANSEC, parading their products as if they’re not tools of mass murder,” said Rachel Small, organizer with World BEYOND War. “Today, we are making it impossible for anyone to enter this weapons fair without being confronted by the war crimes and catastrophic bloodshed these arms dealers and military officials are enabling. The world must see that CANSEC is not just a trade show—it is a marketplace for genocide.”

Many of the primary weapons companies currently arming the Israeli military’s assault on Gaza are exhibiting at CANSEC including: Elbit, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, L3Harris, Leonardo, General Dynamics, Palantir, Roshel, Thales, and dozens more. Israeli government and military representatives had also planned to be in attendance.


Speeches, banners and performances highlighted that the arms manufacturers exhibiting at CANSEC have raked in record profits from the military violence that has brought misery to millions this year – from Palestine to Sudan, from the Congo to Ukraine, from Afghanistan and West Papua to Ethiopia and the Philippines.

There were fences that did not let the public access the grounds of the trade show protected by heavily armed police and private security that were ready to arrest and shove protesters.

“In recent years, we’ve witnessed Canadian government spend millions to suppress protests against war, genocide, and war profiteering. At CANSEC, while corporate executives and arms dealers broker deals behind closed doors, the people outside are met with surveillance, intimidation, and force for speaking out. This violent crackdown reveals the growing strength of a working-class movement that sees through this blatant display of militarism,” said Ahana with International League of People’s Struggle. “We know that these arms that are being sold inside are being used to kill, maim, and destroy families globally. It is not just a trade show – it is a death sentence for the lives in Palestine.”

Canada’s Hands Are Bloodied by CANSEC Profits

Protesters condemned the record profits reaped by CANSEC exhibitors whose arms have fueled devastation from Palestine to Sudan, Congo, Ukraine, West Papua, Ethiopia, Philippines, and beyond. This year, special attention was drawn to Ottawa-based Gastops, whose engine sensors are a critical component in the F-35 fighter jets currently bombing Gaza. Gastops is now seeking to expand its Ottawa weapons factory, doubling down on its role in the machinery of genocide.

“The business of genocide should never be profitable or celebrated by any means,” said Emaad Hakimi of the Palestinian Youth Movement. “No one should remain silent when war profiteering and warmongering take place on our front door step.”

“Palestinian trade unions have asked the global labour movement to step up and take action. Workers across this country have the power to withhold their labour when it comes to goods, contracts or relationships that benefit the Israeli state. Declaring all goods and any ties with the Israeli state as ‘hot cargo’ is how unions and workers can answer this call. Employees in industries that produce parts and components for the arms industry can slow production, disrupt profit, and send the message that workers will not be complicit,” said Shaheen Lotun with Labour for Palestine Ottawa.

Defense Minister Confronted

The protest disrupted the official opening, where Canada’s new Defense Minister, David McGuinty, was scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Protesters demanded the government immediately halt all arms exports to Israel, including those that travel indirectly via the U.S., and cancel all planned arms imports—including the recent $32.2 million purchase of Israeli-made Spike missiles—and block Gastops’ planned expansion.

Every Arms Deal Here is a Death Sentence for a Child

Demonstrators held banners reading “Arms Dealers Not Welcome Here,” “War Crimes Start Here,” and “Stop Profiting from Genocide.” Live updates and visuals flooded social media, amplifying the voices of those silenced by bombs.

Protesters’ Demands

• Immediate two-way arms embargo on Israel
• Refuse Gastops’ permit application to build a new Ottawa weapons factory
• Redirection of military spending to healthcare, housing, education, and climate justice

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