Several dozen demonstrators in support of the Palestinian cause gathered Monday evening in front of the Holocaust Museum in Montreal to oppose the holding of a conference by Israeli soldiers. The rally outraged the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations and Federation CJA, which represents Jews in the Montreal area.
At the passage of The Press At the end of the evening, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators formed a crowd of around 200 people in front of the emblematic building on Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine. They chanted slogans and shouted after leaders with megaphones.
A smaller crowd of pro-Israel counter-protesters, estimated at around 100 people, was kept at bay by a police cordon.
According to a post on the X Network by Independent Jewish Voices Canada, the demonstration was organized to oppose a conference held by Israeli army soldiers.
“At this moment, soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces are speaking at the Montreal Holocaust Museum,” wrote on X Independent Jewish Voices. “It promotes Israel’s agenda while it continues to commit genocide against the Palestinians. It is shameful to welcome perpetrators of ethnic cleansing in a place intended to honor the victims of genocide. »
This public outing followed the denunciation on the same social network of the demonstration by the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA). “An aggressive and physically intimidating crowd surrounds one of the central buildings of the Jewish community in Côte-des-Neiges,” CIJA reported on X shortly before 8 p.m. Monday.
“The demonstrators block access to the building and harass those who try to enter. This is not a question of political views or foreign conflict, it is intentional intimidation of Montreal Jews,” denounced the organization. The publication was relayed by Federation CJA.
A group of Israeli students from Concordia University, Startup Nation, confirmed the event on Instagram and posted videos of the soldiers speaking. And they say they weren’t able to leave the building for hours because of the protest.
Conference canceled at Concordia
At the end of the evening, the event was still in progress and no assessment from the authorities had been made, indicated Caroline Chèvrefils, media relations officer for the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM).
A large security perimeter was established by the SPVM, which kept traffic away from the area delimited by Westbury and Mountain Sights avenues, to the east and west of the museum. The latter is also located next to the Cummings Center, an important cultural and sports center of the Jewish community of Montreal.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
A smaller crowd of pro-Israel counter-protesters, estimated at around 100 people, was kept at bay by a police cordon.
Demonstrators with Palestinian flags were seen from 6 p.m. in the Villa-Maria metro area, not far from the perimeter of the demonstration.
The conference was initially scheduled to take place on the campus of Concordia University. Three Israeli defense soldiers were expected to speak about the “fight against the delegitimization of Israel,” according to the student newspaper The Link.
One of the invited soldiers, Aby Volcovich, had already claimed in a video posted on Instagram that the Palestinian children targeted by the Israeli army were “terrorists”.
The meeting was ultimately canceled due to pressure from within the university.
With the collaboration of Yann Pineau, The Press