While Montreal descended into chaos as anti-Israel protests took over the streets Friday night, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was busy shaking it off at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto.
Trudeau has been slammed for his complete lack of presence on the issue of the riots after he was spotted partying at one of the final Eras gigs while anarchy gripped Montreal.
Protesters downtown set cars ablaze, smashed shop windows, and burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the city’s streets descended into violence.
Riot police deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd, and videos of the destruction flooded social media, sparking outrage.
But while the unrest unfolded, Trudeau was seen without a care enjoying the Eras tour.
The sharp contrast for his apparent indifference to the turmoil in Montreal drew the ire of Quebec Senator Leo Housakos who took to social media to voice his disdain.
‘Tonight, while Justin Trudeau is partying it up in Toronto, I was meeting with several members of the Jewish community of Montreal. Meanwhile, this is our hometown tonight,’ Housakos said while posting video of the riots.
‘The pro-Hamas crowd emboldened by Mr. Trudeau’s pledge to arrest the Israeli PM. Hope you had fun at the concert, though, Justin,’ he added.
Canada PM Justin Trudeau was seen at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto on Friday night
Anti-Israel protestors burned an effigy in the middle of the street of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Canada’s Prime Minister enjoy Justin Trudeau could be seen enjoying himself at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto
Housakos accused the Prime Minister of prioritizing leisure over addressing the violent protests that erupted in the city.
Trudeau’s attendance at the concert left many Canadians questioning his leadership and priorities during a moment of national upheaval as Montreal struggled to restore order.
‘Our F…n country is being torn apart as Trudeau dances like Nero fiddling while Rome was burning,’ wrote Joyce Wheller on X.
‘His riding is burning with rioters while he dances,’ stated a second.
‘Hey trudope time to get your priorities straight, don’t you think?!Cities are burning by rioters, seniors being left out, once again, from your vote buying handouts, children going hungry because of your inflation, I bet not your kids! And here you are acting the fool once again!’ added another furious user.
‘Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances. This is the Canada built by the Liberal government. Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,’ tweeted Toronto MP Don Stewart.
Toronto is roughly 280 miles west of the Canadian capital of Ottawa and 330 miles west of the Montreal district that Trudeau represents.
The protest, which started as a gathering in Émilie-Gamelin Park, quickly turned violent as participants hurled metal objects and small explosive devices at police officers.
Smoke bombs filled the air as rioters marched through the streets, carrying Palestinian flags and banners, while vandalizing storefronts and setting vehicles on fire.
Tensions reached a high point as demonstrators burned an effigy of Netanyahu in the middle of the street.
Montreal police responded by deploying chemical irritants and implemented crowd-control tactics to regain order.
Trudeau was in Toronto on Friday night at one of the final dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour
Trudeau looked to be a true Swiftie as was seen wearing friendship bracelets on his wrist
Trudeau looked to be enjoying himself as he looked around the stadium
Several users on X were furious with Trudeau as he was hundreds of miles away as the violence unfolded
At one stage the Canadian Prime Minister traded Taylor Swift bracelets with fellow Swifties
Protestors marched through the city with many carrying Palestinian flags and banners
At one point protesters managed to release red smoke bombs into the crowd.
The mob quickly got out of control and starting to smash up store windows
Many in the crowd wore face masks to voice being identified. Smoke bombs added to the chaos
Parked cars were broken into an set ablaze in downtown Montreal
Riot police deployed tear gas in an effort to try to disburse the crowd on Friday night
Montreal police reported just three arrests for an assault on officers and obstructing of police work.
The protests coincided with a NATO summit in Montreal, where delegates from member states and partner nations had gathered to discuss issues including Ukraine, climate change, and NATO’s strategic future.
It also came on the heels of heightened tensions in the city following a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including a significant protest at Concordia University on Thursday that involved confrontations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators.
On Saturday, Trudeau condemned the violence and antisemitism seen at the protest, organized by the groups Divest for Palestine and the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
‘What we saw on the streets of Montreal last night was appalling. Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them,’ Trudeau said in a post on X.
‘The RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] are in communication with local police. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable.’
Speaking to reporters at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defense Minister Bill Blair said the actions of the protesters were unacceptable.
‘What we saw was not peaceful protest. What we saw was actually violence, hate and antisemitism, and this has no place on our streets,’ Joly said.
‘Of course, we believe in the freedom of speech, we believe in the freedom to demonstrate, but where we draw the line is when there´s violence.’
Blair added the demonstration ‘was nothing like lawful, peaceful protests.’ Instead, he called the demonstrations an act of ‘anarchy’ by a ‘mob.’
‘It was engagement in violence and hatred on display in the City of Montreal,’ Blair said. ‘Those behaviors are unacceptable and we can condemn them, and in particular the hatred and antisemitism that was on display, in the strongest possible terms.’
Smoke filled the air as protestors released smoke bombs as they rioted
Aside from being anti-Israel the protest was also anti-NATO in its nature
At at least one Canadian Senator was seething as seeing the chaos unfold
People take part in a protest against NATO in Montreal
People wearing Palestinian style keffiyeh’s take part in a protest against NATO in Montreal
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense chief Yoav Gallant, and for a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
All EU countries are members of the court, which means they are supposed to enforce its warrants.
Similarly, Trudeau expressed that Canada would comply with the arrest warrant in the unlikely event Netanyahu should visit the country.
Similarly, Trudeau expressed that Canada would comply with the arrest warrant in the unlikely event Netanyahu should visit the country.
‘It’s really important that everyone abide by international law. This is something we’ve been calling on from the beginning of the conflict. We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts. This is just who we are as Canadians,’ Trudeau said in a statement.
Netanyahu’s office criticized the arrest warrants, labeling them as an anti-Semitic move, while Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, Iddo Moed, urged the Canadian government to reject and condemn the ICC decision, framing it as undermining Israel’s right to self-defense.
