Anti-Israel rioters clash with Montreal police, cars and Netanyahu effigy set on fire

Anti-Israel rioters clashed with Canadian police officers in Montreal on Friday night. Vehicles and an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were set on fire and windows were smashed in the French-speaking Canadian city. At least three individuals were arrested for assaulting police officers and preventing police work in the city.

Some believe the protests on the Canadian college campuses were fueled by the escalating political rhetoric and policy shifts of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration.

The unrest in Montreal came after approximately 85,000 students in Quebec decided to protest on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza. In an unprecedented move, the rioters took over all 12 floors of the main building at Concordia University.

Students from McGill University and Dawson College also participated in the anti-Israel demonstrations, which were characterized by strong elements of antisemitism.

Some anti-Israel demonstrators were reportedly seen performing Nazi salutes and calling for a new “Final Solution,” referencing the Nazi genocide of six million Jews during the Holocaust.

“The final solution is coming your way, the final solution. You know what the final solution is?” the demonstrators said, addressing pro-Israel and Jewish students.

"Coalition de Résistance pour L’unité Etudiante Syndicale (CRUES)," one of the organizing student groups, stated that the anti-Israel demonstration was timed to align with protests against a NATO conference in Montreal. The group cited Western nations' alleged refusal to provide aid to Gazans and their approval of what they called "the ongoing genocide," referring to Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

The Montreal branch of the Palestinian Youth Movement openly called for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people in posts shared on social media.

"Glory to our people resisting the zionist colonial project and genocide. We will not stop until Palestine is fully liberated, from the Jordan river, to the Mediterranean Sea," it wrote on social media.

Quebec Senator Leo Housakos criticized Trudeau for prioritizing a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto over the political turmoil and violence in Montreal.

“Tonight, while Justin Trudeau is partying it up in Toronto, I was meeting with several members of the Jewish community of Montreal,” Housakos stated in a post on 𝕏. “Meanwhile, this is our hometown tonight. The pro-Hamas crowd [was] emboldened by Mr. Trudeau’s pledge to arrest the Israeli PM. Hope you had fun at the concert, though, Justin,” the Quebec senator added.

The Trudeau administration initially backed Israel’s right to defend itself following the unprecedented Hamas Oct. 7 invasion and massacre of 1,200 Israelis from southern Israel. However, the Canadian prime minister began to criticize Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

In November 2023, Trudeau accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians in Gaza.

“The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop,” Trudeau claimed at the time, without acknowledging that Hamas deliberately operates in civilian areas, putting Gaza's residents at risk.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned Trudeau’s remark.

“It is Hamas, not Israel, that is deliberately targeting civilians,” Netanyahu wrote on 𝕏, responding to accusations against Israel. Netanyahu argued that while Israel works to protect civilians by providing humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas forces civilians to remain in harm’s way, often at gunpoint.

In March, the Canadian Parliament imposed an arms embargo on Israel amid growing calls in Canada for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.