Protesters force cancellation of meeting between Justin Trudeau and Giorgia Meloni

Protesters blocked the entrance of the Art Gallery of Ontario – Anadolu/Anadolu

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, had to scrap a meeting at an Ontario art gallery after the entrances were blockaded by pro-Palestinian protesters.

The Art Gallery of Ontario was forced into lockdown as an estimated 30 demonstrators swarmed around the building on Saturday night.

“Due to security concerns, the event was cancelled,” a spokesman for Mr Trudeau’s office said.

Chanting protesters have been angered by Mr Trudeau’s government’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza, which erupted after the Hamas attack on October 7 that saw 1,200 people killed and some 250 kidnapped.

“You are complicit in the genocide. Your hands are red. You are complicit in the murder of my family members and my friends,” one of the demonstrators told Mr Trudeau.

Police tried to protect those attending the event, who had to run the gauntlet of the mob surrounding the building.

Canada’s international development minister, Ahmed Hussen, was blocked at the main entrance and then followed by protesters for two blocks as he tried to find another way into the building.

The two leaders met earlier in the day – Carlos Osorio/Reuters

Mr Trudeau’s government has described Hamas as a terrorist organisation and supported Israel’s right to defend itself.

However, it has also supported demands for a ceasefire to allow aid to get into Gaza.

Ms Meloni, Italy’s prime minister since 2022, was in Toronto to discuss an array of issues with Mr Trudeau, including what she described as the “very difficult Middle East crisis.”

Pro-Palestine protests have swept across the country since the war broke out.

Last month, protesters targeted Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, with patients and medical staff complaining of being harassed as they tried to enter the building.

One Jewish doctor was reportedly surrounded by demonstrators who pounded her car as she tried to flee.

Police, who said they were investigating the incident, have been accused of failing to act to protect staff and patients.

The attack on the hospital, which is closely associated with the city’s Jewish community, was criticised by Marco Mendicino, a Canadian MP.

“Targeting Mount Sinai Hospital to incite intifada against Israel and the Jewish people is flagrantly antisemitic and undermines the health and safety of the patients and medical professionals who work there,” he wrote on X.

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