Anti-Israel demonstrators gathered at the Montreal home of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly on Jan. 13 over Canada’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
The protest outside Ms. Joly’s home came just one day after she issued a government statement saying that Ottawa’s “unwavering support for international law” does not mean it accepts “the premise of the case brought by South Africa,” which accuses Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Approximately three-dozen protesters showed up at Ms. Joly’s home the morning of Jan. 13 shouting pro-Palestinian slogans and accusing her of complicity in the alleged “genocide.” The protestors set up a Concordia Student Union tent, held signs that said “Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living,” and used a loudspeaker to make speeches and sing.
“As we know, settler colonial states protect settler colonial states,” one of the protestors said in a speech captured in a video posted to X. “Let us never forget the ongoing settler colonialism of the nation we live in as we fight for the end of settler colonial violence everywhere,” the speaker added, eliciting cheers and clapping from the crowd.
Numerous people of all political stripes took to social media to denounce the protestors’ tactics.
“This is intimidation, not protest. Just like protesting in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto was,” Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said in a Jan. 13 post on X. “Find an office, a consulate, an embassy, a government building, a public square to protest all you want for what you believe in—not a private home.”
NDP MP Heather McPherson called the protest outside Ms. Joly’s home “appalling.”
“People do not have to agree with politicians and elected representatives, but to harass them at their private homes is completely and utterly unacceptable,” she said in a post on X.
Liberal MPs Salma Zahid and Shafqat Ali also condemned the protest in separate social media posts.
“The right to protest must be exercised with responsibility. There are many places to raise your voice for just causes and be heard,” said Ms. Zahid, who had previously asked Canada to support South Africa’s application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “This does not include someone’s private residence. This will not build support for your cause.”
Mr. Ali called the protest “a wrong choice.”
“I think protesting in front of private homes of anyone, including elected officials is not the right way of expressing concerns,” he said on X. “In-fact, this is a misuse of the right of freedom of expression.”
UN Court Case
South Africa addressed the ICJ, the UN’s highest court, late last week in a bid to end what it calls the “genocide” of civilians in the Gaza Strip, a claim that Israel has called “baseless.”Ms. Joly, in her Jan. 12 statement on the government’s official position on South Africa’s charges, said Ottawa would “follow the proceedings of South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice very closely.”
“Under the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide requires the intention to destroy or partly destroy a group because of their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion,” she added. “Meeting this high threshold requires compelling evidence.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a Jan. 12 press conference in Guelph, Ontario, press conference that while his administration values the ICJ as a significant entity for upholding international law, this does not imply an endorsement of the allegations of genocide lodged by South Africa against Israel.
“Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean that we support the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa. We will continue to follow closely,” he said.
Israel has called the charge of genocide “absurd” and accused South Africa of playing “advocate of the devil” for Hamas. A spokesperson for the Israeli government said ahead of the hearings that the country’s military action is directed at the Hamas terrorist group, and that it remains committed to international law.
Post-apartheid South Africa has been a defender of the Palestinian cause. The country’s filing against Israel at the court cites the sustained bombing campaign in Gaza and failure to provide food and essential humanitarian assistance to the area. The court is expected to rule later this month on the request.
South Africa’s case has been supported by several countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Iran, Malaysia, and Venezuela. The United States has called the prosecution “meritless” while the United Kingdom has described it as “unhelpful.”
Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking 240 hostages.
