Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that pro-Palestinian protests that include hate speech and acts of harassment cross a line.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference in Toronto that he has heard from too many members of Canada’s Jewish community who have seen protests at synagogues and community centers and who feel unsafe.
He said no one can remain indifferent to the suffering in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war, and Canadians have the right to protest and air their anger.
“The loss of civilian life and the impact it has on Canadian families and citizens who are worried about their loved ones is completely understandable,” he said.
But Trudeau said he expects Canadians, including police, to act within the law and make sure everyone feels safe.
“We are witnessing horrific events, but it is not for us to take it out on our fellow Canadians,” he said. “Hateful and harassing behavior, especially against your neighbors, has no place here in Canada.”
“Canadians absolutely have the right to protest so that their anguish and anger can be heard by other Canadians. That is important and we will always protect that right,” he added. “But when protests turn into acts of hatred and harassment, especially against fellow Canadians, a line is crossed.”
On Tuesday, Quebec Superior Court granted a Montreal synagogue and Jewish organization an injunction barring some pro-Palestinian protesters from coming within 50 meters of the building.
Representatives from the Center for Israeli and Jewish Affairs said the community had filed an injunction after protesters besieged a Jewish community center on Monday, blocking people inside and shouting anti-Semitic slogans. He said he asked for it.
Sarah Boivin, a member of Independent Jewish Voice, said the protesters were passionately but not violently vocal about certain events.
These included events featuring members of the Israeli military and what she described as a “real estate tour selling properties in illegal settlements in the West Bank.”
Montreal MP Anthony Housefather said in an interview the day before Trudeau’s comments that protests targeting Jewish houses of worship, community centers and businesses are “totally unacceptable.”
“These institutions have no control over what happens in Israel,” he said.
“By protesting against them, you are holding Jewish Canadians responsible for Israel’s actions. What is happening now is intimidation. Protesting outside a synagogue is never acceptable. ”
He also said the right to exercise free speech does not extend to preventing others from exercising their rights, including the freedom to leave a building.
Winnipeg Liberal MP Ben Carr said he was concerned the protests would turn from peaceful demonstrations to targeting religious sites and buildings.
“Protests become a problem when the targets and locations are intentionally set to align with religion,” he said in an interview ahead of Trudeau’s comments on Tuesday.
Housefather said he hopes to hear more from political leaders at all levels and ensure police take action if protests cross the line.
He was referring to comments made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London last week.
On February 29, Mr Sunak said the UK was descending into “mob rule” due to pressures created by protests against the Israel-Hamas war.
He said there was an “increasingly violent and coercive pattern of behavior” aimed at “denigrating free debate and preventing elected officials from carrying out their duties.”
In Toronto, a weekend reception at the Art Gallery of Ontario attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was canceled after protesters blocked the entrance.
Protest organizers say the protests have been unfairly maligned, and Canada’s anti-Islamophobia envoy has called pro-Palestinian protests “constantly rushed” as if they were a threat to public safety. ” he criticized.
A man with a nail gun has been charged after clashing with pro-Palestinian protesters near a Toronto-area synagogue last weekend. No injuries were reported.
The ongoing Israeli-Hamas war began on October 7, with Hamas militants killing about 1,200 people in southern Israel and taking about 250 more hostage.
Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip say more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military response.
