Blake Ellis/The Independent

“Our hearts are just breaking,” said Micheline Steele, of Sarnians4Palestine, a group that held a vigil in Sarnia’s Centennial Park on Oct. 8, one day after the second anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza. 

The war sparked by a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel with over 200 people being taken hostage. This has led to Israeli air strikes and ground assaults in Gaza, which have led to over 67,000 Palestinians being killed according to the Palestinian Health Authority. 

Steele hoped the vigil would lead to dialogue to what is going on in Gaza. Hours later, the US announced a deal for peace had been reached. 

Steele didn’t know much about the situation between Israel and Palestine before the Oct. 7. She was part of an anti-racism book club and her son kept asking her if they were talking about Palestine. 

It was her friend, Layal Mansour, who introduced her to the plight of the Palestinians, Steele was invited by Mansour to a mosque where the film, Creation and Catastrophe, was being shown. “It just blew my mind,” said Steele, saying she had no idea of the number of Palestinians who have been displaced. 

It was Mansour who established the group Sarnians4Palestine long before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The group currently has 150 people on its mailing list, sends out social media posts about the issue and can often be seen at the corner of Murphy Road and London Line raising awareness about the situation in Gaza.

Sarnia-Lambton does not have a large Palestinian population, but it is growing. Currently there is a family in Sarnia working to get family out of Gaza.  

Steele said the group’s sole purpose is to educate people about Palestine and to work against the oppression.   

“They aren’t looking for vengeance, they just want to live their lives in peace,” said Steele about the Palestinians. 

Above all the group is calling for equity for everyone with the human rights of the Israelis and the Palestinians being respected.