Some pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas staged a “sit-in” at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Montreal district office on Wednesday.
• Also read: Trudeau calls for unity as war between Israel and Hamas divides Canadians
• Also read: Israel-Hamas conflict: UQAM rector and professors targeted by “hate-filled leaflets”
• Also read: University of Montreal lecturer filmed insulting Jewish students at Concordia
The Montreal Palestinian Youth group said on its Instagram page that it was calling on the prime minister to call for a ceasefire, but also for the siege on Gaza to be lifted.
“We call on Canada to use our tax dollars to send aid, food, water, shelter and other things the people of Palestine need,” they said.
In a video broadcast live on Instagram around 7 p.m., a demonstrator said that the last seven participants would be arrested by the police one by one.
The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) confirmed it was conducting an operation related to the occupation of the office at the request of the building manager, who was scheduled to close the premises at around 6 p.m., said spokesman Julien Lévesque.
No riots were reported during the demonstration, he added.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond.
Justin Trudeau launched a forceful appeal for calm on Wednesday, which he had to repeat on Thursday on the sidelines of a visit to Longueuil, amid rising tensions between supporters of the two camps in the metropolis.
In recent days, two Jewish schools have been targeted, while a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue. There was also a fight on the campus of Concordia University.
This isn’t the first time a ploy has targeted an MP or minister’s office in Montreal. At the end of October, demonstrators occupied the offices of three metropolitan MPs, including that of Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.