Pro-Palestinian demonstrators stage protest inside Eaton Centre
Posted December 23, 2023 6:57 pm.
Last Updated December 23, 2023 7:09 pm.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a brief sit-in at the Eaton Centre on Saturday night.
The group could be heard chanting “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping” as Christmas shoppers mingled about, some jeering the protesters from above before a large police presence ushered them out of the mall onto Yonge Street without incident.
Earlier in the day a march organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement drew a large group of demonstrators near Yonge-Dundas Square.
Echoing a theme of “No Christmas as usual,” the group continued their call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Saturday night’s protest was in sharp contrast to one that took place last weekend when a heated exchange between two people erupted in the middle of the busy mall as around 150 demonstrators gathered outside of fashion retailer Zara.
Toronto police said Friday they would be prepared for similar demonstrations in the downtown core this weekend with Deputy Police Chief Lauren Pogue saying if protesters refuse to leave private property when asked, they could be arrested.
“Lawful demonstrations do not include protesting in privately owned spaces, blocking critical infrastructure, or causing disturbances at the expense of other residents.”
“It certainly does not include intimidation, harassment, or hateful behaviour.”
Police said the majority of the 250 protests they have attended in the city since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack have been peaceful.
