In a video posted on social media on Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he had instructed the attorney general to seek an injunction against the demonstration.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
TORONTO – A lawyer representing the organizers of an Al-Quds Day rally in Toronto says the event will go ahead as planned on Saturday despite Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement that his government is seeking an injunction to stop it.
In an e-mail late afternoon Friday, lawyer Stephen Ellis said they have received no notice of a motion for an injunction.
Staff handling the civil court’s urgent motions also said they had not received anything.
Ford posted a video on social media mid-afternoon saying he had instructed the attorney-general to seek an injunction against the demonstration, which he condemned as “hateful” and a “breeding ground for hate and antisemitism.”
The premier invoked recent incidents in which shots were fired at synagogues and the U.S. consulate, as well as a shooting at a Michigan synagogue, adding that the Canada he knows is “slipping away.”
Al-Quds Day has been described by Toronto organizers as a show of support for Palestine, and social media posts promoting the event say demonstrators will also be calling for “no war in Iran and Lebanon.”
Ford’s post sparked swift criticism from civil liberties groups and other advocates, who said the move threatens freedom of expression and peaceful assembly – both rights protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the premier doesn’t need an injunction to enforce laws, noting police have broad powers to respond to credible threats, acts of violence or other unlawful conduct.
“What the government is proposing goes much further,” Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the CCLA’s fundamental freedoms program, said in a statement.
“Seeking to shut down an entire protest before it has even begun is an extraordinary and dangerous step. It is a pre-emptive attack on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, both of which are fundamental Charter-protected freedoms in a democratic society.”
The advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said it was “deeply alarmed” by the province’s push for an injunction, calling it a “troubling effort” to suppress a political demonstration and a “serious threat” the Charter-protected freedoms.
“Public officials have a responsibility to protect fundamental freedoms, especially in the face of political pressure,” said Michael Bueckert, the organization’s vice president.
“Seeking to block a pro-Palestine rally through the courts sends a dangerous message that Charter rights can be curtailed when the political message is inconvenient. That is not how democratic rights work in Canada, and it sets a harmful precedent that should concern all Canadians.”
Others welcomed Ford’s announcement.
Michelle Stock, the Ontario vice president for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the premier’s decision to turn to the courts “reflects the seriousness of the threat facing our communities.”
“We commend the premier and the provincial government for taking decisive action to protect public safety and for recognizing the seriousness of the situation,” she said in a statement.
Toronto police said earlier this week they would be increasing their presence in the area of the Al-Quds Day rally, scheduled Saturday afternoon outside the U.S. consulate.
Emergency management Supt. Craig Young said the rally comes amid heightened unease and fears of violence in the city after shots were fired at three synagogues and the U.S. consulate in the past two weeks.
Officers will monitor the event closely and deploy resources as needed, he said, adding police are aware of concerns about the possibility of clashes between groups of opposing views.