Trudeau, political leaders denounce ‘violence and hatred’ at anti-NATO demonstration in Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined federal cupboard ministers and different politicians in condemning Friday night time’s anti-NATO demonstration in Montreal, calling the protesters’ actions “appalling.” 

Montreal police say at the least three folks have been arrested after protests by pro-Palestinian and anti-NATO demonstrators turned violent, with protesters throwing objects at police, lighting two automobiles on hearth and breaking home windows.

Police say they arrested a 22-year-old girl for obstructing police work and assaulting a police officer, in addition to two males, 22 and 28, each for obstructing police work. All three have been launched and can seem in courtroom at a later date. 

Trudeau took to X Saturday afternoon to denounce the occasions that unfolded. 

“What we noticed on the streets of Montreal final night time was appalling,” he wrote. “Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence have to be condemned wherever we see them.”

He mentioned the RCMP is in contact with native police, including “there have to be penalties and rioters held accountable.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Montreal police mentioned they haven’t obtained any reviews of antisemitic acts or different hate crimes associated to the demonstration.

“I can not make the correlation with yesterday’s acts, whether or not they have been antisemitic or not,” Montreal police chief Fady Dagher instructed reporters Saturday afternoon, including that he is not able to make any conclusions but.

He defined the individuals who triggered the chaos had different targets than these of the protesters.

“I discover it completely insupportable, completely insupportable, to assault legislation enforcement officers who’re there to maintain the peace. All of the demonstrations we have had up to now have, typically, gone very properly,” he mentioned.

Dagher identified that impromptu occasions are extraordinarily troublesome to anticipate and that, with out police intervention, issues would’ve been worse.

He says he’s assured different arrests will likely be made in reference to the protest.

The protest, organized by the Divest for Palestine collective and anti-capitalist group CLAC, was meant to denounce the North Atlantic Treaty Group (NATO), as town hosts the seventieth annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Meeting from Nov. 22 to 25. 

Benoît Allard, a spokesperson for the Divest for Palestine collective, instructed The Canadian Press he and several other different protesters have been injured by police and at the least 4 protesters needed to go to hospital.

He mentioned the aim of the protest was to reveal towards what he referred to as NATO’s “complicity with Israel’s army whereas it is conducting its genocide in Gaza, … struggle crimes in Lebanon, Syria,” amongst different injustices within the area.

Canada is considered one of NATO’s 32 member states.

“It is not okay to make use of cash from our pension funds to put money into corporations which can be offering weapons to the state of Israel, which can be getting used to kill Palestinians,” he instructed CBC.

CBC has reached out to NATO for remark. 

Allard mentioned he and different demonstrators have been assaulted by police. 

“If we do not need the anger, we have now to deal with the foundation trigger, and the foundation reason for this anger is injustice. With out justice, there will not be peace,” he mentioned. “That anger is rooted in solidarity with all folks which can be battling oppression.”

The protest additionally coincided with the second day of student-held pro-Palestinian strikes and protests throughout Quebec. 

Protesters reject accusations of antisemitism

Talking to reporters on the Halifax Worldwide Safety Discussion board earlier Saturday, International Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Invoice Blair mentioned the actions of the protesters have been unacceptable.

“This was nothing like lawful, peaceable protests,” Blair mentioned. “This was anarchy. It was engagement in violence and hatred on show within the metropolis of Montreal.”

Joly added that what was seen was “violence, hate and antisemitism, and this has no place on our streets.”

Nevertheless, Allard rejected accusations of antisemitism. He mentioned the protests have been towards the actions of the state of Israel and never Jewish folks and added the Worldwide Prison Court docket issued an arrest warrant earlier this week for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Thursday, the courtroom mentioned in a information launch there have been cheap grounds to consider that Netanyahu dedicated “the struggle crime of hunger as a technique of warfare; and the crimes towards humanity of homicide, persecution and different inhumane acts.”

A breakdown of occasions

The demonstration started in Place Émilie-Gamelin within the Ville-Marie borough at round 4:30 p.m., in accordance with Montreal police spokesperson Const. Manuel Couture. The group began strolling towards St-Urbain Avenue at round 5 p.m., assembly up with one other demonstration close to Place des Arts.

Issues began to go awry round 6:10 p.m., when protesters lit a model on hearth in the midst of the group and commenced marching collectively, throwing objects together with smoke bombs and metallic obstacles into the road to hinder police work, Couture mentioned, noting protesters then threw fireworks and assaulted law enforcement officials. 

The arrests have been made for assaulting law enforcement officials and obstructing police work, he mentioned. 

When the protest reached the intersection of St-Urbain Avenue and René-Lévesque Boulevard, some folks started smashing enterprise home windows, he mentioned, including home windows on the Palais des congrès have been additionally smashed.

At round 6:40 p.m., police deployed chemical irritants and different methods to disperse the group, in accordance with Couture. That is when two automobiles have been lit on hearth and different retailer home windows have been damaged, he mentioned. By 7 p.m., the demonstrators had left the positioning.

Legault, Poilievre react

Quebec Premier François Legault is considered one of a number of politicians who took to X Saturday morning to criticize the protest.

“The violent and hateful scenes we witnessed final night time within the streets of Montreal, with assaults particularly focusing on the Jewish neighborhood, are unacceptable,” he wrote. 

“Burning vehicles and smashing home windows isn’t about sending a message, it is about inflicting chaos.”

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante additionally condemned the “stunning” actions from demonstrators, saying they don’t have any place in a peaceable metropolis like Montreal. 

She thanked police for making arrests, including that chaos and violence towards retailers is unacceptable.

Late Friday night time, Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre criticized the protest and Trudeau on X.

“Violent mobs riot and rampage by means of lovely Montreal, typifying the chaos that’s engulfing our once-peaceful nation after 9 years of Trudeau’s radical, divisive agenda,” he wrote.