March 4, 2024
THORNHILL, Ont. – B’nai Brith Canada is troubled that police failed to follow through with an arrest after an anti-Israel protester struck and pushed an officer Sunday during a demonstration at the AISH community shul.
“We find it upsetting that someone was permitted to strike and push a police officer without consequences,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy. “We strongly urge all police forces to ensure that this does not recur. Otherwise, we are fearful that the situation will devolve further.”
On Sunday, a woman twice physically attacked an officer, who subsequently attempted to arrest her. The arrest did not occur, though, because a crowd of radicals, chanting “let her go,” physically removed her from custody. Police attempted to pursue the woman, who was wearing a mask, but were blocked by her co-demonstrators.
Around the same time, an individual was promptly arrested after anti-Israel protesters told police that he was carrying a nail gun. B’nai Brith emphatically condemns this provocative conduct and, in a release Sunday, called on police to intervene before more rogue actors and radical demonstrators feel emboldened to defy the Rule of Law.
“We appreciate the police apprehending the man with the nail gun,” Robertson said. “But we call on them to thoroughly investigate Sunday’s incidents and follow up on the masked woman who pushed the officer, as well as those who obstructed her arrest.
“Unfortunately, it appears that Canadian police are failing to create sufficient deterrents to prevent political extremism. A similar situation prevailed in January, when B’nai Brith succeeding in influencing police to stop unlawful behaviour at the Avenue Road Overpass in Toronto.
“Do we need to take legal action to stop the protests, or will law enforcement show Canadians that there are limits to political expression, and that there must be zero tolerance for physical assaults and outright anarchy?”
