Downtown Toronto pro-Palestinian rally and sit-in draws large police presence

A pro-Palestinian rally in Toronto drew a large police presence Saturday evening after thousands of people parked themselves in a busy intersection in the downtown core.

The rally, part of the Palestinian Youth Movement’s “national day of action for Palestine”, began at the U.S. consulate on University Avenue just north of Queen Street West at 2 p.m.

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The crowd looped through the downtown core, stopping in front of Queen’s Park before heading to around Wellington and Bay streets. The participants held signs that said “end the siege” and “free Palestine.”

Thousands of people remained north of Bay Street for hours, participating in a sit-in for the cause.

A statement by the Palestinian Youth Movement said the sit-in will end when Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow apologizes “for maligning the Toronto Palestinian community and calls for an immediate ceasefire.”

On Oct. 7, the day that militant group Hamas first infiltrated towns along the Gaza Strip, taking Israeli people hostage, Chow wrote on social media that she condemned the violence while also acknowledging the “Palestinian pain and severe loss of life.”

Pro-Palestinian activists initially slammed Chow for condemning the attacks on Israelis. After she added a post about acknowledging Palestinian pain, she was slammed by pro-Israel activists as justifying the attacks on civilians.

Chow later deleted the posts on X, replacing them with a new statement in which she says she “unequivocally condemns Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks on Israel.” Chow went on to say that she mourns the loss of “all innocent civilians, both Israeli and Palestinians.”

She said that her earlier tweets were deleted “because of the harm and confusion they caused.”

Video footage from the scene shows a large crowd at Wellington and Bay streets, with individuals chanting and waving flags.

Mounted Toronto police officers have closed off the street and can be seen on the outskirts of the crowd.

Dozens of other officers can also be seen on the ground.

Toronto Police block a road during a march for Gaza rally in support of Palestine in Toronto, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

On social media, police say the officers were present to “keep the peace and to ensure public safety for everyone.”

At the height of the rally, it’s estimated that more than 20,000 people were walking in the streets. The crowd began to dissipate around 9 p.m.

Dalia Awwad, a member of the Palestininan Youth Movement, told CP24 on Saturday that they are calling for a ceasefire and for the Canadian government to take action.

“If Israel's refusing to abide by the requests for a ceasefire, Canada can stop selling arms to Israel. The US can stop selling arms to Israel, and so really making it difficult for them to continue to bombard civilians,” she said.

“We're being very clear and consistent with our message that we vote for them so they can advance our interests and not their own, and right now, they're not doing that they're failing to do that.”

Protesters block a road during a march for Gaza rally in support of Palestine in Toronto, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

This is the fourth consecutive weekend of significant demonstrations in Toronto related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Another rally is scheduled for next weekend.