Pro-Palestine supporters hold a protest on Sainte-Catherine street on Boxing Day in Montreal, Tuesday, December 26, 2023.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
A Montreal synagogue and the Federation CJA, a Jewish community organization, have obtained an injunction from the Quebec Superior Court barring protesters from within 50 metres of their buildings.
Pro-Palestinian protesters held demonstrations this week in Montreal to denounce an event featuring Israel Defense Forces (IDF) speakers and another about the sale of real estate in illegal Israeli settlements.
Protests have been held in cities across Canada and around the world since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 others, which triggered an ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza. The assault on the territory has killed more than 30,000 people, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health officials.
Toronto police say the number of protests have been increasing in the city, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s event with Italian leader Giorgia Meloni was cancelled last weekend because of security concerns after several hundred protesters gathered around the venue.
Federation CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have used social media to post videos showing chanting protesters in Montreal, some of whom are blocking access to buildings. Those posts include videos in which the groups say protesters are harassing people and chanting antisemitic phrases in Arabic.
Yair Szlak, president and CEO of Federation CJA, described the protesters as “aggressive.”
“I think it’s an unfortunate reality that we’re facing as a Jewish community that we have to get an injunction to make sure that protesters don’t block the entrance and exits to our building,” he said.
Sarah Boivin, a spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), which is listed among the defendants, denounced the injunction as “yet another attempt to silence and to shut down the movement for Palestinian lives in Canada.”
In a decision dated March 5, Justice Serge Gaudet wrote that the plaintiffs, Federation CJA and the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, “have established the necessity of an urgent intervention” by the court.
The court issued a 10-day provisional injunction against a list of defendants that also includes Montréal4Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Alliance4Palestine.Qc and Bara Iyad Abuhamed. Defendant organizations other than IJV did not respond to The Globe and Mail’s requests for comment.
The injunction prohibits defendants from “participating in any protest or action related to protesting within 50 metres of the sidewalks bordering” the federation and synagogue buildings. The injunction also prohibits protest near the Cummings Centre, the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA, the Herzliah High School and the United Talmud Torahs of Montreal.
It authorizes the plaintiffs “to call upon any policing authority to enforce” the order.
A demonstration Monday targeted speakers giving a talk at a building that houses Federation CJA and the Montreal Holocaust Museum, among other Jewish institutions.
The event, organized by Concordia student groups StartUp Nation and Hillel, featured “Israeli advocates” fighting “against the delegitimization of Israel.” The three speakers are IDF reservists, according to biographies included in event posters on social media.
Independent Jewish Voices said on X that the protest was “against Israel and its ongoing violence, not Jewish Montreal.”
Montreal police spokesperson Jeanne Drouin said two individuals, aged 20 and 32, were arrested for assault and released Monday. Two victims, aged 22 and 51, suffered no injuries, she said.
Ms. Boivin, of IJV, said in an interview that to hold such an event there was “deeply offensive” given the continuing attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces.
The Federation CJA’s Mr. Szlak said he recognizes the right to protest and freedom of speech, but added, “I don’t think that laying siege to a building because you disagree with a speaker is the right message.”
IJV held another demonstration at the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue Tuesday, protesting against an event that advertised “expert speakers” to address “all your questions about purchasing real estate in Israel,” including settlements considered illegal under international law and by Canada.
Ms. Drouin said a 23-year-old man was arrested for uttering threats and released Tuesday. The synagogue did not respond to The Globe’s request for comment.
In Toronto, police are dealing with an unprecedented number of demonstrations, some of which are becoming “more hostile and confrontational toward both police and the public,” said Toronto Police Service spokesperson Stephanie Sayer. The cost of managing the additional demonstrations has risen to approximately $10.3-million, Ms. Sayer said in a statement.
In addition to Mr. Trudeau’s cancelled event at the Art Gallery of Ontario in downtown Toronto on Saturday evening, police were also called to a demonstration involving approximately 150 to 200 people outside a restaurant in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood on Tuesday where the Liberals were holding a fundraiser.
“Police arrived quickly when they learned of the protest, and redirected resources to the venue,” Ms. Sayer said in the statement. “We have received a report of an assault and police are investigating. We are also reviewing the demonstration on Saturday to determine if illegal activity occurred at the event, but no charges have been laid at this time.”
Parker Lund, a spokesperson for the Liberal Party, said “everyone participating in our democracy should feel safe and respected, and the safety of our supporters and guests will always be the Liberal Party of Canada’s top priority.”
Since Oct. 7, Toronto police have attended more than 500 demonstrations, some of which occurred on short notice, Ms. Sayer said. On Saturday, police attended twelve protests before responding to the event at the AGO, she said. In total, officers have made 22 protest-related arrests and laid 27 charges since early October, largely in response to threats, assaults and mischief.
“We are committed to providing a sense of safety and security for Torontonians while also upholding the constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Ms. Sayer said. “This balance requires a delicate and thoughtful approach to navigating situations where multiple factors or interests need to be managed carefully.”
“When behaviour crosses the line from lawful demonstration to criminality, charges can be laid either at the event or in the days that follow.”