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Toronto police say they are banning protests in residential parts of a North York Jewish community that has seen regular demonstrations in recent years.
In a statement sent to CBC News, Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said officers facilitate “lawful demonstrations” while also “balancing the rights of participants with the safety of the broader public.
“Due to the changing security landscape in Toronto in recent weeks, including increased volatility and heightened fear in our communities, demonstrations moving into residential neighbourhoods in the Bathurst and Sheppard area presents an unacceptable risk to public safety,” Sayer wrote.
“As a result, demonstrators will not be permitted to enter residential streets in this area.”
Sayer did not specify what has caused a change in Toronto’s “security landscape,” but members of the Jewish community have called on both government and residents to stand up against hate and antisemitism after three synagogues were hit by gunfire this month in the Greater Toronto Area.
Protests and counter-protests have been happening in the Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue W. area since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack and Israel’s subsequent barrage on Gaza.
Sayer said “lawful demonstrations” at the main intersection and streets of the area are being allowed to continue.
“This is a targeted response to specific concerns and a measured step to reduce the risk of escalation and maintain public safety,” she said.
In a statement, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) said this move raises concerns about violations to Charter-protected rights, noting that the Criminal Code already contains several offences that address harassment and intimidation.
“Those laws exist precisely to protect public safety, and they can and should be enforced where necessary, including at protests,” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Fundamental Freedoms Director at the CCLA. “What [Toronto police] is doing goes much further. It creates protest-free zones on specific public streets, where any pro-Palestinian protestor — regardless of how peacefully they express their message — can be arrested.”
“This attack on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly is wrong.”
Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said officers on the ground in these locations will first tell people they cannot protest in residential areas, and will physically block them.
“And if they try to disobey that instruction they will be arrested and charged with [obstructing police],” he said.
Chief Supt. Katherine Stephenson told reporters at the same news conference that there have been about 20 arrests over the last several months linked to protests in the area.