Pro-Palestinian groups claim Toronto police had prepared in advance to use higher levels of force against protesters at a weekend rally, an accusation strongly denied by police.
Guy Tsabar of Jews Say No to Genocide states that compared to the dozens of other protests organized since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, police behavior was noticeably different at Saturday’s rally.
Police spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer says the actions of officers this weekend were similar to previous demonstrations, with a deployment of officers and mounted units consistent with recent protests.
Protest organizers claimed in a press release on Sunday that police had been following the march for three hours when “suddenly” demonstrators were barricaded by anti-riot forces and mounted officers — a claim also rejected by police.
Protest leaders allege police started using force “without warning,” and several people were thrown to the ground and at least four were taken to the hospital.
Toronto police have stated that three people were charged during Saturday’s march, including one woman accused of assaulting an officer, another who allegedly threw horse manure at police, and a man who was driving a truck with people in the bed of the vehicle.
Sayer said “police used appropriate and necessary force to maintain public and officer safety while controlling the protest, especially when faced with violence and aggression.”
Challenging the claims that demonstrators were barricaded and that people were injured, Sayer added that “protesters were free to depart the event at any time and we have received no reports of injuries.”
