Hundreds gather in Calgary for rally to support Israel

A rally held at the Calgary Jewish Community Centre on Wednesday night drew hundreds of people all in support of Israel.

A rally at the Calgary Jewish Community Centre in the southwest drew hundreds of people all looking towards Israel as fighting in the Gaza Strip has intensified over the past few weeks.

The gathering included a phone call from Israel and a speech from Conservative MP Michelle Rempel.

One mother attended the peaceful rally, saying she is always worried about her daughter, who is 18 and fights with the IDF.

“I’m very nervous, I’m very worried,” says Albina Shuman. “I’m waiting for her call. I’m waiting for her call, every second. My phone is on, but it could be 5 days and I wouldn’t hear a word.”

Police were also at the event, to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Officers say they did arrest a man after he was found trying to smuggle an Airsoft gun into the rally.

They don’t believe the man is connected to last Friday’s protest outside City Hall that made a turn for the worse.

On July 18, a rally organized by a pro-Palestinian group got very tense when a pro-Israeli group showed up. A number of small clashes broke out and police needed to be called.

Another rally is planned for this coming Friday, but it’s been renamed the ‘Gaza Peace and Anti-Racism Rally’.