Pro-Palestinian rally hits financial district

Demonstration sparks verbal exchanges between protesters and police, shuts roads

Under grey skies and an unrelenting drizzle and as temperatures plummeted to near freezing, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in downtown Toronto on Saturday afternoon for another weekend rally, against the backdrop of the end of the ceasefire and Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza.

The demonstration, which began at Nathan Phillips Square and zigzaged through the financial district, shutting down roads and snarling traffic, saw heated verbal exchanges between protesters and police.

There was also a vandalism incident that resulted in a brief, but unsuccessful, police chase on foot.

Toronto police estimated that 2,000 people attended the protest, which was organized by Toronto 4 Palestine, a community activist group that has coordinated many of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Toronto in recent weeks.

The rally came after fighting in Gaza resumed Friday morning following a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas, wherein Hamas exchanged more than 100 of its hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Virtually all were women and children.

Protesters in Toronto on Saturday gathered at Nathan Phillips Square around 1 p.m. The group, led by a large truck with organizers shouting chants, departed the square around 3 p.m. following several speeches. The march headed south along Bay Street, before stopping for nearly an hour at the intersection of Bay and King streets, stopping traffic in both directions and backing up more than half a dozen TTC streetcars.

As the march stalled at the intersection, at least two protesters defaced the exterior of the Bank of Montreal (BMO) building with red paint, writing, “Blood on BMO hands.” Roughly half a dozen police officers chased the suspects on foot. A crowd followed the police, shouting “shame” at the officers, but soon dispersed.

A police spokesperson said the BMO incident was under investigation and no arrests had been made. A spokesperson for the bank did not immediately respond to the Star’s request for comment.

In a statement to the Star, a spokesperson for Toronto 4 Palestine said the individuals involved with the incident were unassociated with the organization .“At( Toronto 4 Palestine ), we value the protection of our public spaces ,” the spokesperson said. “Such actions don’t align with our principles.”

BMO has been the target of some anti-Israel protesters for the banks financial ties with Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli defence contractor accused of manufacturing cluster munitions, a deadly weapon that more than 100 countries, including Canada, have banned. BMO financial documents, reviewed by the Star, show the bank’s asset management wing held investments in Elbit Systems, as of October 2023.

Other Canadian banks have also come under scrutiny for their ties to the Israeli defence contractor. Scotiabank, which also invests in Elbit Systems, was the target of a sit-in last month that saw demonstrators clash with police.

Following the vandalism incident at BMO, the protest headed west along King Street, then south on University Avenue.

More than two dozens officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, blocking the length of the street and forcing the march to head back north. More than five hours after it began, the protest concluded back at Nathan Phillips Square.

Ba ssel Abdel-Qader, a Palestin- ian-Egyptian from Oakville, told the Star that after attending the first four weeks of events as a dem- onstrator, he said he felt a calling to do more to support the movement and became an organizer with Toronto 4 Palestine.

“Anyone who views what’s happening (in Gaza) as abhorrent, I view it as the bare minimum for them to come out, show unity, show our elected officials that they won’t stand for it,” he said.

Beyond sending a message to policymakers, he added, these rallies are a means of showing the people of Gaza that Canadians support them, he said.

“They’re overwhelmingly happy with the support,” said Abdel-Qader, who has family in the West Bank and has showed them video of the protests. “They’re thankful that people are coming out to the streets.”

Saturday’s rally, which drew just a fraction of the number of attendees compared to past events, comes as some pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Toronto have become increasingly charged, with heightened anti-Israel rhetoric, instances of civil disobedience and, in some cases, arrests.

A rally Wednesday, which was also organized by Toronto 4 Palestine and began outside Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), featured a swastika on a sign. TMU and police said they were investigating the incident. Toronto 4 Palestine said the individual involved was unassociated with the organizing group and was asked by protest leaders to cover up the sign, “which they complied with immediately.”