Peace advocates ask Rota to support Cease Fire Now

Close to 30 people assembled on Main Street in front of MP Anthony Rota's office to mark the Global Day of Action to push for a sustained ceasefire in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory to protect all civilians affected by the conflict. 

It's the second event put on by the North Bay & District Labour Council and Cease Fire Now Nipissing.  

Brennain Lloyd, a volunteer with Cease Fire Now Nipissing, says it's the right time to send a message to MPs like Nipissing-Timiskaming's Anthony Rota. 

"Today is a national day of action focussed on MPs," explained Lloyd. 

"It is the first day MPs across Canada are in their constituency office so today is focussed on messaging to MPs and we need to hear from them. We need to hear statements from them calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. We think it is great that Canada voted in with the UN with 152 other countries to choose in support of a ceasefire but it is important that MPs make a statement.

"Some liberal MPs have spoken out and they disagree with the government of Canada taking this very modest step so we think it is important that Anthony speak out and say that he does support the ceasefire and he does support the full return of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip."

See related: Cease Fire Now rally brings message of peace to Highway 17

Roughly two dozen people took up the call to gather at Thomson Park Sunday afternoon for a similar rally. On Monday Lloyd says they provided a letter to Rota insisting that he support making the ceasefire a reality. 

Rota was not at his office on Monday to address the peaceful protesters.  

"We knew in advance that he was not going to be here as Anthony is not in his office, so we have had some communication with his staff about that and we did deliver a package," she explained.  

"So one of the things that we did during the hour-long gathering here was people wrote messages on stick-it notes, stuck them on his window and collected them and handed them over to Anthony's staff along with a message about the importance of MPs speaking out in support of a ceasefire."