Federal cabinet ministers condemned an anti-NATO protest in Montreal that turned violent on Friday, saying “hatred and antisemitism” were on display.
Police said they made at least three arrests following a demonstration that began late afternoon Friday, which included two car fires and left some businesses with smashed windows.
Montreal police said that during the march, smoke bombs were deployed, metal barriers were thrown into the street and windows of businesses and at the convention centre were smashed.
The protest was organized by the groups Divest for Palestine and the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
Speaking to reporters at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Bill Blair said the actions of the protesters were unacceptable.
“What we saw was not peaceful protest. What we saw was actually violence, hate and antisemitism, and this has no place on our streets,” Joly said.
“Of course, we believe in the freedom of speech, we believe in the freedom to demonstrate, but where we draw the line is when there’s violence.”
Blair added the demonstration “was nothing like lawful, peaceful protests.” Instead, he called the demonstrations an act of “anarchy” by a “mob.”
“It was engagement in violence and hatred on display in the City of Montreal,” Blair said.
“Those behaviours are unacceptable and we can condemn them, and in particular the hatred and antisemitism that was on display, in the strongest possible terms.”
Delegates from NATO member states and partner countries are in Montreal this weekend to discuss issues including support for Ukraine, climate change and the future of the alliance.
Police spokesperson Manuel Couture said the demonstrators were completely dispersed at around 7 p.m.
More anti-NATO protests are planned for Saturday and Sunday in Montreal. Saturday’s event is organized by Mouvement Québécois pour la paix. On its website, the group says it fights for peace and against imperialism, and says that NATO has contributed to global conflicts.
With files from Sammy Hudes in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2024.