Last night, around fifteen metro stations were plastered with posters accusing Canada of being “complicit in the genocide in Palestine”.
As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, several calls were made to 911 for posters stuck in various places in several metro stations, explained Sabrina Gauthier, spokesperson for the Montreal police.
The SPVM considers this to be mischief because the posting of the posters was not authorized and they are practically unremovable. On several of them we can read in large black letters on a white background: “Genocide in Palestine: Canada complicit.” » Other types of posters call for the “liberation of Palestine”, all in connection with the violent military repression carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on several fronts in Israeli territory and massacred Israelis.
The metro stations that were affected are Jarry, Jean-Talon, Beaubien, Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal, Villa-Maria, Frontenac, Préfontaine, Pie-IX, Viau, Édouard-Montpetit, Fabre, Université-de-Montréal, du Park, De Castelnau and Acadia.
The investigation was transferred to the Incidents and Hate Crimes Module (MICH) which will notably have to determine whether it is a hate crime. There is no incitement to hatred on the posters, says Mme Gauthier, but given the explosive context of the situation in the Middle East, the police are on the lookout.
The situation concerns the authorities, who fear an escalation of violence: in recent days, shots have been fired three times into the facade of schools in the Jewish community of Montreal and incendiary devices have also been launched against a synagogue of the West Island of Montreal.
The SPVM is working to watch the video tapes from security cameras in the various metro stations targeted, but as of early this morning, no arrests had yet been made.