Several dozen demonstrators in support of the Palestinian cause gathered outside the Holocaust Museum in Montreal on Monday evening to oppose the holding of a conference by Israeli soldiers. The rally outraged the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations and the CJA federation, which represents Jews in the Montreal area.
Updated at 12:38 a.m.
When La Presse passed by at the end of the evening, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators formed a crowd of around 200 people in front of the iconic building on the Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine. They shouted slogans and shouted after the leaders with megaphones.
A smaller crowd of pro-Israel counter-demonstrators, estimated at around 100 people, was kept at bay by a police cordon.
According to a post by Independent Jewish Voices Canada on the X Network, the demonstration was organized to oppose a conference of Israeli army soldiers.
“At this moment, Israel Defense Forces soldiers are speaking at the Montreal Holocaust Museum,” wrote X Independent Jewish Voices. “It advances Israel’s agenda while it continues to commit genocide against Palestinians. It is shameful to welcome the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing in a place dedicated to the victims of genocide. »
This public outing followed the denunciation of the demonstration by the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA) on the same social network. “An aggressive and physically intimidating crowd surrounds one of the central buildings of the Jewish community in Côte-des-Neiges,” CIJA reported on X just before 8 p.m. on Monday.
“The protesters are blocking access to the building and harassing those who try to enter. “This is not about political views or conflicts abroad, but about the deliberate intimidation of Montreal Jews,” denounced the organization. The publication was distributed 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 couldn't leave the building for hours because of the protest.
Conference in Concordia canceled
At the end of the evening, the event was still ongoing and there had been no assessment from the authorities, said Caroline Chèvrefils, media officer for the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM).
The SPVM established a large security perimeter that kept traffic away from the area bounded by Westbury Avenue and Mountain Sights Avenue east and west of the museum. The latter is also located next to the Cummings Center, an important cultural and sports center for Montreal's Jewish community.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
A smaller crowd of pro-Israel counter-demonstrators, estimated at around 100 people, was kept at bay by a police cordon.
Demonstrators with Palestinian flags could be seen in the Villa-Maria subway area not far from the demonstration site from 6 p.m.
The conference was originally scheduled to take place on the campus of Concordia University. According to student newspaper The Link, three Israeli defense soldiers were expected to speak about “fighting the delegitimization of Israel.”
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.”
Due to pressure from within the university, the meeting was ultimately canceled.
In collaboration with Yann Pineau, La Presse