Protesters gathered at legislature the before throne speech with their demands
Photo by Mike Graeme.
A UVic student consumed only water and electrolytes for four days in anticipation of the throne speech at B.C.’s Legislative Assembly. Her goal was to garner attention for a list of demands in solidarity with Gaza.
The UVic political science masters student, Emily (who prefers not to share her last name), declared a hunger strike, beginning on the evening of Feb. 16. Her strike continued through Feb. 20 — the day that the Lieutenant Governor delivered a speech from the throne at the legislature.
Emily hoped that her strike, which took place outside the Legislative Assembly, would catch the attention of the large number of throne speech attendees.
Emily drafted a list of demands of the B.C. provincial government “in solidarity with Gaza and against Canada’s involvement in the Israeli state’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians,” and hoped they would be acknowledged by the provincial government on the day of the throne speech.
Emily’s list of demands is in response to the government’s position on the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led militant groups in and around the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023 and continues to this day.
On Dec 12, Canada voted at the UN General Assembly in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Emily says “[when the NDP] made the resolution for a ceasefire, it wasn’t followed up with any tangible action or commitment to materially moving towards a ceasefire.”
“We need to divest in boycott from Israeli Zionist regime and the Zionist Israeli state,” she says, adding, “I’m in no way conflating Zionism with Judaism. That conflation is completely inappropriate.”
Emily camped out in front of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria intermittently throughout her strike, and on the afternoon of the Feb. 20 throne speech she was joined by dozens of other protesters who rallied in support of the Palestinian people.
In her press release, Emily stated that she would not leave the legislature until her demands were recognized.
The throne speech is when a representative of the monarch — in this case, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia — presents a prepared speech marking a new session of the Legislative Assembly. The speech itself went off without a hitch, but some ceremonial proceedings in advance of the speech were suspended.
Traditionally, a 15-gun salute takes place upon the Lieutenant Governor’s entrance to the Legislative Assembly, and she enters the building through the ceremonial entrance on a red carpet that has been rolled down a case of exterior stairs.
Likely because of the proximity of the protesters to the legislature building on Feb. 20, the Lieutenant Governor instead entered the building through an alternate entrance. The 15-gun salute also did not occur this year, but whether or not this was because of the protesters is unknown.
Outside the legislature, Emily and other protesters passed paper copies of their list of demands to passersby who were on their way to attend the speech “in good faith” that they would address the demands inside. Some even promised to, says Emily.
Emily’s demands are as follows:
1) That the provincial government boycott and divest from “the Israeli state and its Zionist regime,” including to stop the “flow of weapons to Israel through economic sanctions and an arms embargo,” effective immediately.
2) That B.C.’s NDP stop all aid and endorsement of Israel, and demand the federal government cancel permits for the exportation of weapons and military services to Israel.
3) That Premier David Eby and the B.C. government reinstate their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and otherwise establish unlimited humanitarian corridors in Gaza.
4) That Premier Eby and the B.C. government provide “comprehensive and unlimited support” to Palestinians seeking refuge in B.C.
The protest in solidarity with Gaza outside the legislature was not acknowledged during the throne speech, nor was Emily’s list of demands. Emily says her demands remain unrecognized by the provincial government.
However, after the throne speech, the Martlet asked Minister Ravi Kahlon to comment on the protest, which was still audible from inside the legislature.
According to Kahlon, members of the Legislative Assembly “will continue to engage with people on issues, especially issues that are pertaining to the residents of British Columbia.”
When asked if he was aware of the Victoria resident on a hunger strike for Palestine, he responded, “I am not aware of that.”
Emily says this is curious, given that the group of protesters were camped out in front of the legislature all afternoon with signage that said “Hunger Strike for Palestine.” They were, in her opinion, hard to miss.
Emily says that the response was “pretty disappointing.” She is frustrated by “not even just a denial of our presence there, but an outright censorship.”
According to Emily, the hashtag #ThroneSpeech2024 was “blocked” on Instagram. She is suspicious that this was done to erase the presence of the protesters.
Searching #ThroneSpeech2024 on Instagram prompts a message that reads “There’s nothing to show right now. Try again later.” In comparison, the hashtags #ThroneSpeech2023, #ThroneSpeech2022, #ThroneSpeech2021 and so on, summon dozens of posts.
“That’s part of the reason why I have chosen to end the strike,” says Emily. “After six or seven days of striking, fasting, and very direct outreach and action, they have no interest in recognizing it and are willing to go as far enough as to censor it. It doesn’t make sense, as a strategy, to continue.”
Now, in the wake of her hunger strike, Emily says she and other protesters are re-evaluating and re-organizing. She says it might be necessary to utilize “more disruptive ways [of protest] if genuine acts of outreach and engagement are not willing to be taken up.”
She has not lost hope, though, and says that the protest at the legislature only emphasized how many people care and the strength that comes with community. Starting now, she says,“I think we’re going to organize very differently.”
