Two men have been arrested following the Al-Quds Day demonstration in Toronto, with police saying both were taking part in a counter-protest.
Organizers described the demonstration as an annual protest showing support for Palestinians. Social media posts promoting the rally also said the event included calls for “no war in Iran and Lebanon.”
The rally drew counter-protesters as the day unfolded, with opposing groups in the downtown core exchanging chants and opinions.
Police deployed hundreds of officers to ensure the safety and security of everyone present.
According to authorities, the first counter-protester allegedly engaged with a participant of the Al-Quds Day demonstration, who was holding a stick with an Islamic Republic of Iran flag attached.
The man, police said, began swinging his arms and fists at the victim, breaking the stick and causing pieces of it to hit the person in the head.
The suspect has been charged with assault and mischief with damage to property under $5,000. He will appear in court on July 22.
In a separate incident, a second suspect allegedly followed an Al-Quds demonstrator, who was wearing an Islamic Republic of Iran flag on their back. The suspect spat on the victim and ripped the flag off their back.
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The suspect then returned to the crowd and was later found among those demonstrating against Al-Quds Day.
Police said the suspect was then seen lighting the flag on fire and wearing Islamic Republic of Iran flags attached to the soles of his shoes.
The suspect has been charged with assault, criminal harassment, theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and public incitement of hatred. He was set to appear in court earlier this morning.
Toronto Police say the investigations into both cases are being treated as suspected hate-motivated offences.
The Al-Quds Day demonstration went ahead after a judge dismissed a provincial government bid to block the event.
The province asked a judge to block the demonstration after Premier Doug Ford condemned it as “hateful,” with Ford saying after the decision he was “extremely disappointed.”
Justice Robert Centa ruled less than an hour before the protest was scheduled to begin, saying the province did not meet the legal test required to prevent the protest from going ahead.
Stephen Ellis, legal counsel for the Al-Quds Day demonstration, said the rally was meant to give participants a chance to speak out against war in the Middle East.
“This day is very, very important. Right now the Middle East is on fire, in Iran, in Lebanon, in Palestine, so being able to express ourselves against war is really important,” Ellis said.
Meanwhile, in a post on social media, Ford described Al-Quds Day as “a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism.”
“I won’t stop working to put an end to the hatred and division that runs too rampant on Canada’s streets,” Ford wrote.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, however, said Ford’s move seeking to shut down a protest before it begins is “an extraordinary and dangerous step” and warned it threatens Charter-protected freedoms.
—with files from Global News’ Prisha Dev and The Canadian Press
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