Open in full screen mode Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked entrances to the Art Gallery of Ontario on Saturday. (Archives) Radio-Canada Voice synthesis, based on artificial intelligence makes it possible to generate spoken text from written text. Toronto police are investigating whether illegal activity took place during a pro-Palestinian protest Saturday that prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's team to cancel a reception for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni the same day. This is what a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service said (TPS) Sunday. Saturday evening's activity at the Museum of Fine Arts of the& #x27;Ontario (AGO) was to close a day of meetings between Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Meloni. It was canceled at the last minute. Demonstrators shouting pro-Palestinian slogans blocked the entrances to the building and prevented many participants from entering.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Justin Trudeau in Toronto.
A spokesperson for Mr. Trudeau's office said that neither he nor Ms. Meloni were able to enter the Museum.
Middle East, the eternal conflict
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The Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, was seen on Saturday, on foot and escorted by police officers, looking for an entrance that was not occupied by demonstrators.
The demonstrators chanted slogans in front of the main entrance. (Archives)
Stephanie Sayer, a TPS spokesperson, said officers maintained contact with the premier's security team throughout the evening. She added that Toronto police did not recommend canceling the event.
Ultimately, the Prime Minister's team decided to cancel, Ms. Sayer said in a statement.
It was not at the recommendation of the TPS that the activity was canceled when many guests were already inside the building.
Ms. Sayer said about 400 protesters were gathered outside of the AGO. There were no injuries and no arrests, she confirmed.
We are reviewing the events of last night and if it is found that illegal activity took place, charges may be filed at a later date.
A quote from Stephanie Sayer, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service
The Prime Minister's Office n& #x27;did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
The protesters, who criticized the way the federal government reacts to the war between Israel and Hamas, chanted slogans such as Justin Trudeau, you are a liar and called him the Justin of genocide.
The security services also prevented certain journalists from entering the Museum.
For his part, the liberal MP Marco Mendicino sharply criticized the protesters who canceled the event, calling them thugs and disgusting anti-Semites.
According to an expert, the decision to cancel this reception was the right one.
However, the aim of such a demonstration is to create disruption, and it took place because the government does not listen to people, according to an activist.
There was an imposing police presence at Saturday's demonstration in front of the AGO. (Archives)
Former deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Pierre-Yves Bourduas declared told CBC News that the decision to cancel this activity was justified.
Agencies had to cancel the event to protect everyone and avoid a type of event that could have diplomatic consequences.
A quote from Pierre-Yves Bourduas, former deputy commissioner of the RCMP
Things were getting really personal and very emotional for some of these protesters. […] When we get to this level, we don't want to provoke or push things.
De For his part, liberal MP Marco Mendicino strongly criticized the demonstrators in a series of publications on the X network (formerly Twitter) on Sunday morning.
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Disgusting anti-Semitic protesters surrounded, threatened and assaulted members of the Italian-Canadian community during' ;a formal event held last night at the AGO in downtown Toronto.
L& #x27;place was not safe. And that was their goal. They don't want their fellow citizens to feel safe, added the Toronto MP.
Toronto MP Marco Mendicino (center ) was present at the canceled activity.
Mr. Mendicino accused protesters of spitting on elderly people and calling them genocidal baby killers.
These thugs think they scored a victory last night, but all they did was lose public support and embarrass themselves. It's time for this madness to stop.
A quote from Marco Mendicino, Liberal MP for Eglinton-Lawrence
Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy for the fight against anti-Semitism, said on the X network that the cancellation of the activity is the result direct submission to the irrational demands of a noisy and uncontrollable cohort, which fuels his determination.
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For her part, Aisha Sherazi, a writer and community activist based in Ottawa, says disruptive protests such as those Saturday are an integral part of political movements, adding that very important things have been won thanks to these kinds of protests.
This type of demonstration is really intended to disrupt. […] Of course it worked, Ms. Sherazi said.
But I think the most The important thing is that they provide an outlet for people. And when the government doesn't listen to people and that's the only outlet they have left, I prefer that to… other solutions.
With information from The Canadian Press and CBC