Cities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States are bracing for Friday’s al-Quds Day, an event that marks intense and often violent anti-Israel protests and rhetoric, with Toronto authorities warning participants against waving terrorist flags and committing hate crimes.
The current Iranian-backed protest day against Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem falls on the last Friday of Ramadan. Still, activists have planned events throughout the week, including Sunday marches in Toronto and London.
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“Palestine resists – Zionism ceases to exist,” read a March 6 advertisement for a Toronto march organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and the Al-Quds Day Toronto group.
In a Friday press briefing, Superintendent Katherine Stephenson of the Toronto police acknowledged the increased tensions due to the war in the Levant and the concerns expressed by some about potential hate speech and clashes between participants and counter-protesters.
Stephenson warned that the force would be “highly visible” to identify any criminality.
“I want to remind everyone that every reported instance of hate, including at demonstrations, is investigated,” said Stephenson. “This includes hate crimes, hate speech, hate signage, and flags designated by Public Safety Canada [as pertaining to] terrorist organizations.”
“Let me be very clear: Charges can be laid at any time – hours, days, or even weeks after an incident,” Stephenson added.
Acting Superintendent Craig Young of the Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) Emergency Management and Public Order unit said that the force wished to facilitate safe and lawful peaceful assembly and expression, but the law would be enforced.
“Engaging in confrontations with law enforcement, obstructing police, or resorting to violence is not acceptable, and we will not hesitate to enforce the law,” said Young.
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner issued similar warnings in a Friday statement explaining that al-Quds Day events in Toronto had been used to “glorify terrorism, advocate for the destruction of the sovereign democratic state of Israel, promote antisemitic ideology, and intimidate the Jewish community.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on social media that the rally will not only likely spread antisemitism and advocacy for genocide, but it will also present national security concerns given the holiday’s backing by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC was listed by Canada as a terrorist entity last year.
Jewish community response
B’NAI BRITH Canada launched a letter campaign to the mayors of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, calling on them to ban the event and warning them that the commemorations were advancing the ideology of the proscribed IRGC.
PYM is set to host an al-Quds Day protest in Montreal on Saturday to “join millions worldwide to proclaim al-Quds as the eternal capital of Palestine.”
Voice of the Oppressed is hosting its own event in front of the Calgary City Hall on Friday.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) is organizing another Sunday march in London but warned supporters that it was illegal to express support or invite support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Brixton posted an IHRC Instagram guide offering legal advice and tips for interacting with law enforcement.
The UK’s Metropolitan Police set conditions for the route of the al-Quds Day procession and a counterprotest by Stop the Hate (STH) UK, the police announced on Friday.
STH UK said on X/Twitter that it would confront those expressing IRGC-backed “hatred, anti-human rights, anti-liberal, and anti-democratic propaganda” by showing them “the truth.”
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell of the Metropolitan Police said of the Sunday march and two other Saturday protests that the Met was “confident that appropriate measures are in place to prevent serious disruption and ensure the events take place peacefully.”
“We are in discussions with community stakeholders, representatives from relevant premises, and with the organizers,” Bell said. “Our role is to police this event as we do other protests, without fear or favor and within the legal framework available to us.”
Another rally was being held on Friday in Dallas, organized by PYM Dallas, which noted that this year was significant because it was the second al-Quds Day since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.
“Al-Quds Day stands as a powerful recommitment for the struggle for Palestinian liberation and a resounding affirmation of Palestine’s profound significance to Arabs, Muslims, and all people of conscience around the world,” said PYM Dallas.
“With ‘Israel’ unilaterally shattering any semblance of a ceasefire earlier this week, it is imperative for all of us to show out for Gaza, for al-Quds, and for Palestine, from the river to the sea. Until the liberation of Palestine and the actualization of every Palestinian’s right to return, we will stand proud, upright, and unafraid until victory,” it added.