Man who allegedly fired nail gun at protest in Thornhill, Ont. was motivated by hate: police

Police north of Toronto say the man who allegedly brought a nail gun to a pro-Palestinian protest outside of a synagogue in Thornhill, Ont. and fired it last weekend was partly motivated by hate.

It’s alleged that Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, of Vaughan, Ont. stopped his vehicle near demonstrators at Clark Avenue and South Promenade on the morning of March 3 and began yelling “hateful obscenities at them” and became “confrontational” with at least three of the protesters.

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Abramov, who police have already charged in connection with the incident, allegedly produced a nail gun and shot it near the protestors. No one was injured.

Video of the incident shows Abramov armed with a nail gun and surrounded by multiple protesters, some of whom he appears to assault. At one point, Abramov appears to square up with an elderly woman before he runs to his vehicle.

The charges against Abramov include possessing weapons dangerous to the public, assault with a weapon, and two counts of assault and mischief.

Now, York Regional Police say its hate crime unit has determined hate was a motivating factor in the incident.

“Should the accused be found guilty of the offences, the hate-motivated aggravating factors will be presented in court at sentencing,” police said in a news release.

There have been two more pro-Palestinian protests at the synagogue since Sunday’s incident. According to activists involved in the demonstrations, at issue is an event inside the place of worship for those interested in buying real estate in Israel.

York Regional Police confirmed that there were arrests at the latest demonstration on Thursday, which saw two groups of demonstrators, one carrying Palestinian flags and the other holding Israeli flags, clash before they were pulled apart by officers.

Pro-Palestine protesters and pro-Israel protesters face off at a demonstration at a synagogue hosting "the Great Israeli Real Estate Event," in Thornhill, Ont., Thursday, March 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Speaking at an unrelated news conference in Toronto on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said “some” of the protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war have gone too far, specifically those that lead to “hatred or acts of harassment.”

On Saturday, a reception in Toronto following meetings between Trudeau and his Italian counterpart was cancelled after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked entrances to the venue.