Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are speaking out about Toronto’s “full-scale police brutality” after a protest over the weekend that resulted in arrests and charges laid.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue for a “Shut It Down For Palestine” demonstration regarding the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
Toronto police said they were conducting crowd management in the area of Gerrard and Parliament streets when a man was driving a truck with occupants in the bed of it.
In a statement to Now Toronto, a police spokesperson said that for months “police have unequivocally cautioned” demonstrators and drivers about people riding in the bed of their trucks.
“During Saturday’s demonstration, despite reiterated warnings, the driver allowed someone to stand in the bed of the truck as it was moving. At that time, officers commenced the action to stop the vehicle, lay the stunt driving charge, and impound the vehicle, as we had forewarned them. The situation began to escalate when the driver refused to cooperate with police, abandoning the scene and withholding the vehicle’s keys, further obstructing lawful police action. When police moved in to secure the vehicle, demonstrators resorted to physical aggression against officers.”
ARRESTS MADE AND CHARGES LAID
As a result, the driver was charged with Stunt Driving under the Highway Traffic Act. The vehicle was impounded for 14 days and his licence was suspended for 30 days, police said in a news release on Sunday.
In addition, other demonstrators were arrested for being “aggressive and assaultive towards officers,” including a woman who allegedly threw horse manure at the police, and another woman who “intentionally used a flagpole to ‘spear’ at an officer,” police said.
Police added that while officers were trying to make an arrest, several demonstrators interfered, resulting in four males being arrested for Breach of the Peace. They were latester released unconditionally.
Videos of the protest and arrests have since surfaced online.
PROTESTERS SPEAK OUT
On Monday, protest organizers, including members from the Palestinian Youth Movement, held a debrief about the protest outside of Toronto Police Services Headquarters.
The organizers claim that police have “dramatically escalated its police violence and brutality” against pro-Palestine demonstrators in recent weeks.
They said that at the protest police were following demonstrators for three hours before “hundreds of riot and mounted police on horses arrived.”
“…The police on the ground created a barricade (kettled) to prevent further movement of the protestors. And, without warning, police began to assault and grab protestors and make arrests. At least four attendees went to the hospital, while several others are monitoring themselves for concussion symptoms,” Palestinian Youth Movement said in a statement on Monday.
“In an attempt to suppress and silence freedom of expression, the Toronto police are openly brutalizing pro-Palestinian families and community members, who have come out to protest this genocide for months on end,” the statement continued.
The group added that the police’s actions are an example of how “rather than keeping people safe, the police are the source of the violence.”
“There is nothing that the Toronto police can do to stop us from gathering and protesting Israel’s barbaric ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people nor Canada’s complicity in funding and arming it. We will not be deterred and we will continue to rely on ourselves to keep us and our communities safe,” the letter concluded.
CONCERNS OF KETTLING
Toronto Centre MP Kristyn Wong-Tam echoed the organizers’ concerns about kettling, and is calling on police to provide a detailed account of their actions.
“Both local residents and march participants were intimidated by the swift escalation initiated by law enforcement, resulting in some individuals being forcefully pushed to the ground,” she said in a statement on Sunday.
“I want to underscore my steadfast opposition to the controversial police tactic known as “kettling”. This method has faced widespread criticism for its indiscriminate containment of crowds, often ensnaring innocent bystanders and journalists. Torontonians never want to see the regrettable events of the G20 Summit in 2010 repeated,” Wong-Tam continued.
In response, police said their presence at the protest mirrored past demonstrations.
“The fundamental difference lies in demonstrators’ refusal to adhere to police directives despite clear forewarning. Police employed appropriate and necessary force to preserve public and officer safety while maintaining order during protest activity, particularly when faced with violence and aggression,” police told Now Toronto.
Police added that they received no reports of injuries and that an investigation is ongoing.
