The Toronto Police Association came to the defence of its members after a pro-Palestinian protest on Saturday in the downtown area ended in multiple arrests and three people charged, including a woman accused of throwing horse manure at officers.
A post on the TPA’s X account said officers, away from their loved ones over the holiday weekend, are “compelled to attend these protests to ensure public safety.
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“These officers ensure that people can protest safely, peacefully and respectfully,” the post said. “When protesters (allegedly) choose to commit criminal acts, they will be arrested either immediately or later. When protesters block roads and infrastructure, that impacts our ability to respond to emergency calls.
“Our members deserve the same respect that they extend to the protesters. Anything less is unacceptable.”
The TPA statement followed criticism from protesters after officers conducted crowd control on Saturday during a demonstration in the Gerrard-Parliament Sts. area.
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During the protest, one woman allegedly threw horse manure at police while another was accused of using a flagpole “to spear at an officer,” according to police.
Assia Rami, 24, and Celeste Xiaoying Furlotte-Bois, 27, of Toronto, were each charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon.
A driver was also charged with stunt driving under the Highway Safety Act for allegedly operating a truck with occupants in the bed of the moving vehicle. The vehicle was impounded for 14 days and the driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days.
While officers were seizing the truck, police said, demonstrators allegedly became “aggressive and assaultive” toward them. It was at this point that manure was allegedly thrown at officers, police said.
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Police also said that several people allegedly interfered when officers made an arrest. Four people were arrested for breaching the peace and three were later released without any charges, while one was wanted on a warrant for an unrelated crime and turned over to the OPP.
Pro-Palestinian groups, as a result, said officers are allegedly enforcing rules selectively at organized protests.
A news release issued by demonstrators said police followed the protest for three hours before hundreds of officers with riot gear and on horses arrived to barricade their movement, allegedly escalating their “brutality against pro-Palestinian demonstrators.”
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Gur Tsabar, a spokesperson for Jews Say No to Genocide, said in the news release that police were making selective use of the “obscure” Highway Traffic Act as a pretext for arresting demonstrators. The statement said protesters have been “in the beds of trucks moving at the speed of parade floats” several times while in police presence during the protests that have taken place since the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7, 2023.
“After five solid months of chanting week after week from the beds of very slow-moving trucks and their attached trailers, Toronto Police suddenly became ‘very concerned’ for our road safety,” said Tsabar.
Police, however, responded in their statement that they have cautioned organizers and drivers specifically about not having people riding in truck beds or on attached trailers while in motion, adding the rules are spelled out in the Highway Traffic Act.
“Police have been clear that this stipulation will be in effect at all demonstrations,” the statement said.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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