Four arrested during North York rally in support of Israel

Toronto Police arrested four people after skirmishes broke out during a rally in support of Israel Monday night.

Community leaders and politicians from all levels of government gathered in a show of support for Israel at the rally in Mel Lastman Square in North York on Monday, Oct. 9.

Under the bandstand on the west side of the square, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said, “We have the NDP, we have Conservatives, and we have Liberals, but tonight we are here as Canadians. That is important to say because it’s important for us to recognize how serious, how terrible the events we are here to recognize are.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford insisted hate had no place in Canada and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow offered her support “in this dark hour.”

The United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto, a Jewish and Israeli advocacy group, organized the rally demonstration following the attack by Hamas near Gaza. On Oct. 7, Hamas militants entered Israeli towns near Gaza, taking an estimated 250 military and civilian hostages. The attack and Israeli response left hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians dead. The AP reported Hamas’s military wing leader Mohammed Deif said in a prerecorded statement that the attack was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside The West Bank, and violence at a disputed holy site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement, “We are at war.”

On Yonge Street across from the bandstand, people protesting the Netanyahu administration’s treatment of Palestinians were separated from the event by police. Protesters clashed with the rally’s supporters and four people were arrested.

Protesters and supporters stood across the street from one another, hurling chants and jeers. They were separated by a heavily armed police force consisting of the Toronto Police Service, the Peel Police Service, and the OPP.

The large and heavily armed police detachment, supported by large trucks that rolled between protesters and supporters, blocked the line of sight. Garbage trucks and the Toronto Fire Department closed off the road at either end, while the city closed the nearest subway stations. The heavy police presence comes after thousands of protesters gathered in the city’s core earlier Monday afternoon.

Deputy Police Chief Lauren Pogue described the increase in police action around the city in a statement Monday morning.

“The public will notice an increased police presence in and around demonstration areas, and the public can expect some rolling and static road closures with the objective of safely re-directing people and traffic, again, to ensure the safety of our residents and businesses. While the Toronto Police Service will be present to ensure lawful demonstrations, we want to be very clear that we will not tolerate any intimidation, harassment, or hate-motivated behaviour aimed at specific communities.”