Police escort Canadian PM from restaurant after he’s mobbed by pro-Palestine protesters

Toronto: Two persons were arrested in Vancouver after pro-Palestine protesters swarmed restaurants visited by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the city in British Columbia on Tuesday evening. Trudeau had to leave the second of the venues under police protection.

According to videos of the episodes, protesters are seen shouting at Canadian PM to demand a “ceasefire” in the ongoing operations by Israel in Gaza, which resulted from the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said it had “deployed nearly 100 officers on Tuesday night to disperse a protest outside a Chinatown restaurant where the prime minister was dining”.

The restaurant was not identified though Trudeau also faced protests at a popular Indian restaurant, Vij’s, which he had visited earlier in the evening.

In its release, VPD said officers responded around 10pm, after “approximately 250 people surrounded the restaurant” and “assisted in controlling and dispersing the crowd, while the prime minister was escorted out of the restaurant”.

A 27-year-old male was arrested for assaulting a VPD officer, who was punched in the face and had her eyes gouged while dispersing the protest. The officer received medical treatment for her injuries. “VPD is recommending criminal charges against the man,” the release stated.

A 34-year-old man was also, arrested for obstructing police. He has been released from custody pending further investigation.

“The Vancouver Police Department supports everyone’s right to peacefully assemble and to express their views. When protests occur, VPD’s primary role is to maintain order, to facilitate a peaceful environment for people to express themselves, and to respond to unlawful behaviour if it occurs,” the release said.

Trudeau has faced criticism from both sides for his comments on the divisive conflict, especially as Canada has witnessed several pro-Palestine rallies as well as incidents of anti-Semitism in recent days.

The Canadian government has not called upon the Israeli government for a ceasefire. While in Vancouver on Tuesday, Trudeau has asked Israel to exercise “maximum restraint”.

“I have been clear that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules,” he said. However, his statement earned a sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who posted on X, tagging Trudeau, “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also criticised Trudeau’s statement, as it posted, “If Canada wants to contribute to the goal of sustainable peace, it will stand firmly with Israel as it toils to remove the murderous Hamas regime from Gaza. Anything less condemns the region to perpetual suffering for all.”

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