(Toronto) Pro-Palestinian groups are accusing Toronto police officers of selectively enforcing rules during protests after seven people were arrested and at least three charged during Saturday's protests.
The Toronto Police Service released a statement saying officers were controlling the crowd during the demonstration at Gerrard and Parliament streets, where they arrested and charged several people.
A man who allegedly drove a truck with occupants in the bed of the vehicle was charged with careless maneuvering and had his license suspended for 30 days.
When officers impounded the man's truck, the crowd became “aggressive and violent” and a 24-year-old woman threw horse manure at the officers.
Investigators say he was later charged with assault, along with a 27-year-old woman who police say used a flagpole to target a police officer.
Police say they arrested four people during the protest and later released three others unconditionally. One of them was wanted after the agitation for a separate matter and was later transferred to the provincial police.
Police did not provide details on why the men were arrested and later released. However, he clarified in his press release that releasing a person does not mean they cannot be charged at a later date. He further informed that the investigation is ongoing.
Police monitored the demonstration for three hours, and hundreds of officers arrived in riot gear and on horseback to block their movement on Saturday, immediately “escalating their brutality against the pro-Palestinian demonstrators,” according to a protesters' press release.
A spokesman for Jews Says No to Genocide, Gur Sabar, said in a press release that police were selectively using “vague” traffic laws to arrest protesters.
The report said protesters have found themselves “in the dumps of speeding trucks” in the presence of police on several occasions during the many pro-Palestinian demonstrations since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. October 7.
“After five months of weekly chants from the beds of slow-moving trucks and their trailers, Toronto police suddenly became 'very concerned' about our road safety,” said Mr. Sabar said.
“Indeed, kudos to the Toronto Police for following orders so diligently and inventing an obscure highway traffic law as a last resort to end our charter-protected right to protest,” he added.
However, the police responded in their statement that they had warned the organizers of the demonstration, especially the drivers, not to allow people to board the trucks or attach trailers, adding that rules had been laid down. Highway code.
“The police have clearly indicated that this provision applies to all demonstrations,” read the press release. Toronto police regularly attend protests and protect the rights of protesting citizens while enforcing the law. »
