Palestine Solidarity Grey Bruce meet every Saturday on the Gichi-name-wiikwedong Bridge in Owen Sound. Hub photo
Kiera Merriam
More than 100 people were in attendance at Palestine Solidarity Grey Bruce's (PBGB) recent screening of 'No Other Land' at Owen Sound District Secondary School.
As Israel's offensive in Gaza and the West Bank swell to never-before-seen proportions and people hit the streets in Israel and beyond in opposition to the IDF's latest ground offensive, PSGB reflect on the past events and next steps in hopes of contributing to the creation of a lasting peace in the region.
The April screening raised over $3,000 which was divided between UNWRA's (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine) humanitarian aid efforts as well as direct support for families of local Palestinians still in Gaza.
Organizers said they were able to raise funds through ticket purchases as well as a silent auction which featured a selection of beautiful items hand-made by community members.
PSGB is a grassroots community of local residents who stand together for justice, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people and Palestinian and Saugeen Shores resident Ibrahim Zoghbor offered an opening address.
"Since late 2023 we have been gathering every Saturday morning at the Gichi-name-wiikwedong Bridge in Owen Sound to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza, the occupation of Palestine, and the systemic displacement of Palestinians," said Zoghbor, inviting others to join them.
"In the face of overwhelming misinformation and political silence, we must remain steadfast," Zoghbor said, "holding onto the values of justice, dignity, and truth, even when it's difficult."
Zoghbor told the story of his and his family's story in Palestine, from the 1948 Nakba when his father, just six years old at the time, and his family were forcibly displaced from their home in Al Majdal, until present day. He told of violent displacement, being terrorized on the streets and living a life under constant siege.
His speech in its entirety is shared below.
As if the constant violence and devastation wasn't enough, the biggest threat facing Palestinians today is starvation as Israel is over two month into their total blockade of humanitarian aid routes into the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday foreign ministers from several nations including Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Norway, and the UK released a joint statement asking Israel to "allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and to enable the UN and humanitarian organizations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering and and maintain dignity."
The statement also reiterated the need for Hamas to release all remaining hostages but neglected to mention the thousands of Palestinians being held by Israel without charge, including women and children.
Over the year and a half into what many are now calling a Holocaust, few global leaders have taken any semblance of firm action against Israel and mainstream media perspectives are still largely skewed in favour of Israel and fail to address reality on the ground for Palestinians.
Yemen, South Africa, and Ireland are among the handful of nations who have taken firm action against the ongoing genocide. When will Canada join them and offer more than lip service to stop these atrocities?
When will the world finally stand up and say, "No more."
Ibrahim Zoghbor's address at PSGB's screen of 'No Other Land':
Good evening everyone, my name is Ibrahim, and it's an honour to welcome you tonight on behalf of Palestine Solidarity Grey Bruce. We are a grassroots community of local residents who stand together for justice, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people.
Since late 2023, we have been gathering every Saturday morning at the Gichi-name-wiikwedong Bridge in Owen Sound to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza, the occupation of Palestine, and the systematic displacement of Palestinians.
We also organize educational events like this one, advocate for political change, and share weekly action items through our newsletter. You are warmly invited to join us - to rally, to organize, to act. We believe that awareness is no longer enough.
In the face of overwhelming misinformation and political silence, we must remain steadfast - holding onto the values of justice, dignity, and truth, even when it's difficult. For me, this work is not only political - it is deeply personal.
I was born and raised in Gaza. My family's story of displacement goes back to 1948, when they were forcibly expelled from their home in Al Majdal and pushed into the Al Shati refugee camp. This isn't distant history for me - it's the story my father, then just six years old, lived through.
I was born at Al Shifa Hospital - the same hospital recently destroyed under the false claim that it was a military site. No evidence was ever presented.
Growing up in Gaza meant living under siege. It meant living in a place twice the size of Saugeen Shores, but packed with more than 2.4 million people. There are no airports, no seaports, and only a heavily controlled checkpoint to the outside world. The occupation wasn't just something we heard about - it was in our streets, our schools, our homes.
Soldiers raiding neighbourhoods. Curfews shutting down life. Schools closed without notice. Garbage dumped in our yards by military jeeps.
At one point, walking home from school with my mother, a soldier fired a rubber bullet at us. It hit my eye. Another day, I watched a neighbour's son - a teenager - shot and killed in front of his parents' home. Years later, I watched that same family lose another son. And then another.
The occupation shaped every part of my life.
When I finished high school, I dreamed of studying mechanical engineering just a few miles away in the West Bank. But I was denied entry.
Instead, I stayed in Gaza, studied civil engineering, and built structures that were later destroyed. Even farming projects we worked on were crushed - every time crops were ready to export, the borders were closed.
No matter how hard we tried, building a normal life under siege proved impossible.
Eventually, I left Gaza - carrying with me not only memories, but a deep hope for justice. In 2017, I came to Canada, seeking a future where my children could live safely, freely, and with dignity. But Gaza never leaves my heart.
In the current ethnic cleansing campaign, my family has been displaced once again. We lost our home. My wife's sister, Dalia Abu Ajwa, lost her daughter, her husband, and 31 members of her extended family - three generations, wiped out in a single moment. Only Dalia and her young son survived.
I also carry with me the memory of friends and neighbours - Ahmad Zoghbor, Samy Al Madhoun, Eman Alustaz, Ashram and Salam Morad, Bilal Jadallah, Ayman and Wisam Jadallah - who were killed in this recent violence.
Their lives mattered. Their dreams mattered. Their voices mattered.
Tonight, we are sharing a film that reflects these realities - not from Gaza, but from the occupied West Bank. 'No Other Land' tells the story of Masafer Yatta, a Palestinian community facing demolition and dispossession.
It follows Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist, as they document the destruction and build an unlikely bond based on justice.
Their story is a reminder: Solidarity is powerful. Action is necessary. Steadfastness is essential.
I want to leave you with a vision - a dream that I still hold onto. I like to believe that somewhere, on one of the lands taken from my people, there is an Israeli man who was born in 1981 - the same year as me. Maybe his name is Abraham. Maybe he is an engineer too, raising a small, beautiful family, just like I am. And maybe, like me, all he really wants is to see his children grow up in peace.
He is not my enemy. He did not choose to be born into my stolen home. But for true peace to ever exist, he must stand up - stand up for justice. Stand up for dignity. Stand up against the violent regime that, in just the past 18 months, has murdered over 20,000 children only a few miles away from him.
The Palestinian people have already decided: We will not lose our hope. We will not accept life inside refugee tents. We will not live forever behind prison walls. Our future will be built with dignity - or it will not be built at all. This is the future we struggle for. This is the future we invite others to build with us.
Thank you. Free Palestine.
The state of Israel and the IDF deny any allegations of genocide, apartheid and war crimes.
See also: PSGB hosting screening of award-winning film 'No Other Land'
