Canadian MPs Ask Police to Take Action After Death Threat at Anti-Israel Protest

Pro-Palestine protestors are seen during a march for Gaza rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 4, 2023. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

Members of Parliament are asking police to enforce the law after an online video showed a pro-Palestinian protester uttering death threats in front of police officers at the Toronto Eaton Centre on Dec. 17.

The video shows a pro-Palestinian rally that took place outside a Zara store on Sunday. A protester, whose face was mostly covered by a mask, was seen threatening someone: “I’ll put you six feet deep.”

“I’ll put him on the ground,” said the masked man in front of several Toronto police officers at the protest. “You come near I’ll put you lay down on the floor … I’ll put you six feet deep.”

The same man returned to the scene later in the video, and again, with officers standing nearby, threatened, “I’ll put you six feet deep,” and added: “If you’re a man, come touch me.”

The video quickly caught attention on social media, including from multiple MPs who responded to it.

“Canadians live in a country where laws are supposed to be followed and police are supposed to enforce the law,” Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said on X on Dec. 17.

Mr. Housefather, who himself is Jewish, added the next day that, “Police chiefs, mayors & provincial & federal authorities need to all make clear to all officers that police should enforce laws as regards incitement & threats at demonstrations.”

Conservative MP and Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman warned that such incidents shouldn’t become “commonplace” in Canada.

“They broke the law with complete impunity. It’s no longer a peaceful protest,” she said on X on Dec. 17.

Independent MP Kevin Vuong said that everyone must be equal before law, citing the criminal code that uttering threats is a criminal offence.

“Our laws must be upheld or they’re not worth the paper they’re on. [Canada] must be a country governed by [rule of law]—not mob rule,” he wrote on X on Dec. 17.

Multiple other Conservative MPs also commented on the incident, asking for police action, including Michelle Rempel Garner, Marty Morantz, and Larry Brock. Making a reference to the arrest of Freedom Convoy protesters in 2022, Tory MP Ryan Williams said, “Peaceful truckers were arrested for less.”

‘De-escalate’

In an email statement provided to The Epoch Times on Dec. 19, the Toronto Police Service said approximately 150 demonstrators entered the Eaton Centre at about 5:30 p.m. that day, and that their officers were on-scene with the mall’s security.

“We can confirm that a demonstrator and another citizen who was at the mall exchanged words, which you see in a video that’s circulating, and officers were keeping them apart,” said spokesperson Ashley Visser. “We are investigating this incident.”

She added that given the “tensions” arising from the protest and considering public safety, the police tried to “de-escalate the situation.”

“During a situation like this, when tensions are high and there are large crowds of people, including the general public, officers must use their best judgment at the time, taking everyone’s safety into consideration,” the spokesperson said.

“The mall was very busy with holiday shoppers, and officers used their training to de-escalate the situation and disperse the crowd.”

‘Where Is the Investigative Detention?’

In an online post, the Toronto Police Association (TPA), which represents members of the Toronto Police, said that the threats seen in the video were directed to a member of the public, rather than to the police.

“The victim chose not to pursue the matter. TPA members are working each day to ensure protests do not escalate & we are grateful for their efforts,” the association said on Dec. 18.

This assertion was challenged by some lawyers, who said the police need no permission from the victim to take action against the masked protester.

“I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean. Canadian police do not require the permission of a victim to press charges. And in this case, the police actually witnessed the crime being committed,” said Toronto-based lawyer Asher Honickman on X on Dec. 18.

David Anber, an Ottawa criminal defence lawyer, questioned the police’s operating procedure with regard to the masked man’s threats.

“Where is the investigative detention?” Mr. Anber asked on X on Dec. 18. “Where is the part where the officers immediately speak to the victim and ascertain his wishes?”

Disruptions

The incident is the latest among a series of disruptions by anti-Israel protesters.

On Dec. 15, about 100 protesters with Palestinian flags, signs, and drums marched through Ottawa’s Bayshore Shopping Centre to protest against the Zara store located in the mall. Idit Shamir, consul general of Israel in Toronto, shared a video from the Ottawa protest on Dec. 17, saying that the protesters threatened the safety of children and hurled insults to Christianity.

“Pro-Palestinians terrify young children waiting to meet Santa. Added bonus - they are screaming that Jesus was a Palestinian. You can’t make this stuff up,” she said on X.

A similar incident happened in Burnaby’s Metropolis at Metrotown mall on Dec. 16 where hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters flooded the complex chanting for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre faced a similar disturbance over the past weekend where protesters chanted accusations that Israel and Zara commit genocide against Palestinians.

On Nov. 13, the Scotiabank Giller Prize ceremony was twice disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. The first disruption was when protesters jumped on stage during the book prize event with signs accusing the bank of funding genocide. The second time was when a protester, who posed as a photographer, began shouting when Canadian author Sarah Bernstein was announced the winner for her novel.

Alleged Terrorist Plot

There’s also been a rise in violence targeting the Jewish community.

On Dec. 15, the RCMP arrested a youth in Ottawa for allegedly planning a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. The suspect was charged with facilitating terrorist activity by communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance. The youth is also charged with knowingly instructing a person to carry out terrorist activity against “Jewish persons.”

In November, two Jewish schools in Montreal were hit by gunshots overnight, while a synagogue and a Jewish community centre were firebombed in the city in the same month. Additionally, a number of Jewish-owned businesses have been targets of vandalism or on-site protests, and there’s been a rise in the number of reported anti-Semitic attacks on university campuses.

The incidents followed the start of the Israel–Hamas war after Hamas terrorists launched a multi-pronged and unprecedented attack against Israel on Oct. 7 that targeted civilians.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.