Toronto police ban demonstrations on Avenue Road bridge: ‘Expect to be arrested’

Demonstrators on the Avenue Road bridge over Highway 401.

Tensions in Toronto are growing over a pro-Palestinian demonstration held several times on the Avenue Road bridge over Highway 401.

On Wednesday, Toronto police said the demonstrations on the bridge had “escalated” and posed a threat to public safety.

The force said demonstrations would no longer be allowed on the bridge and people would be “arrested if necessary.”

In a statement, Chief Myron Demkiw said the demonstrations, which are being held in an area with a large Jewish population, have left some in the local community feeling “intimidated.”

Some local councillors and Jewish groups have also criticized the protests.

At least three pro-Palestinian protests have been held on the bridge over Highway 401, with organizers saying the location of the event was chosen based solely on convenience and exposure.

“We are protesting because of its accessibility to us and its visibility,” a statement from Eglinton-Lawrence and Don Valley for Palestine previously said.

The group said it was following a model used to draw attention to other causes, including the war in Ukraine.

Police, however, say the events are impacting local residents and are a risk to drivers on the highway below.

“It is quite clear that our communities feel unsafe,” Demkiw said, responding to questions about the Avenue Road bridge demonstration ban.

“This is an overpass over the busiest highway in Canada, indeed in North America, as I understand it. It’s a piece of critical infrastructure.”

On Wednesday, B’nai Brith Canada, a prominent Jewish group, also said it was launching a court injunction in order to “prevent further protests on the 401 overpass.”

The group alleged the demonstrations were targeting the local Jewish community.

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A recent motion passed by a Toronto committee also asked city staff to clarify which government had jurisdiction over the highway bridge to inform a plan to curb demonstrations.

Tensions over the demonstration — and vehement disagreements around its impacts — come as Toronto police reported a rise in hate crimes following Hamas’ attack on Israel and the country’s subsequent daily bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Between October and December, officers responded to an average of 190 hate crime calls every month.

“We are taking a different perspective based on the information and experiences of our communities,” Demkiw added on Wednesday.

“We are going to ensure our communities feel safe in every way we can. We will not be allowing criminal intimidation of our communities.”

In a statement shared online earlier in the week, the Eglinton-Lawrence and Don Valley for Palestine group said its demonstrations had been mischaracterized and said local Jewish residents were among the attendees.

“We are exercising our right to peaceful assembly in our own neighborhood,” the group said.

“All of the solidarity protests at this intersection have been overwhelmingly peaceful.”

— with files from The Canadian Press