Toronto Police to Conduct Review of Protest Leading to Cancellation of Prime Minister’s Reception

Investigators with the Toronto Police are currently assessing potential illegal activity during a recent protest that disrupted a reception hosted by the prime minister for a visiting G7 leader, as stated by the police force on Sunday.

The event on Mar. 2 at the Art Gallery of Ontario was intended to conclude a day of meetings between Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Toronto, but had to be called off when demonstrators chanting pro-Palestinian slogans obstructed the entrances and prevented many attendees from entering.

Both Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Meloni were unable to access the venue, which was briefly put on lockdown. Minister Ahmed Hussen reportedly had to walk for two blocks with a police escort to find another entrance.

A spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, Stephanie Sayer, mentioned that the police had been in communication with the prime minister’s security team to provide secure access to the building, although the decision to cancel the event was made by the Prime Minister’s team, not the police.

Sayer stated, “It was not at TPS’s recommendation that the event be cancelled, and many guests were already inside.”

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Approximately 400 protesters were present outside the AGO, with no reported injuries or arrests, as police look into the incident to determine if any illegal activities took place.

“We are reviewing the events of last night and if it’s determined that illegal activity occurred, charges can be laid at a later date,” Ms. Sayer commented.

No immediate response has been received from the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the events on Mar. 3.

The demonstrators, who were critical of the government’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict, chanted slogans condemning Prime Minister Trudeau and obstructed access for attendees, while police later escorted some individuals to the entrance.

Security measures also prevented some reporters from entering the event.

This disruption marked a turbulent conclusion to an otherwise cooperative day of meetings in Toronto, where Prime Ministers Trudeau and Meloni announced plans to establish the Canada-Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation.

Following the protest on Mar. 2, Liberal MP Marco Mendicino urged police to enforce the law, referring to the demonstrators as antisemitic.

“The location was not secure. And that was their objective. They don’t want their fellow Canadians to feel safe,” he stated on X, previously known as Twitter.

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy for combatting antisemitism, also criticized the cancellation of the event on X, attributing it to giving in to the demands of a raucous and unruly group.