According to local media accounts, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was led to safety on Wednesday as police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Chinatown restaurant where he was having dinner.
On Tuesday night, dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators surrounded the location in the city while brandishing flags and shouting calls for an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Protesters were heard yelling phrases like “ceasefire now” and “you have blood on your hands.”
Justin Trudeau escorted out of a hip restaurant when Pro-Palestinian hounded him out. And this hip Indian restaurant is owned by Indian origin Vikram Vij. https://t.co/g2f2Ldaa3w
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) November 16, 2023
One hundred cops “assisted in controlling and dispersing the crowd, while the prime minister was escorted out of the restaurant,” according to a statement released by Police. While another man was detained for hitting an officer who had been struck in the face and had her eyes gouged, one man was arrested for obstruction.
Sergeant Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police Department stated at the press conference that “the protestors’ actions, such as blocking the lane behind the restaurant, caused a concern.” “Last night, after about 250 protestors surrounded a restaurant on Main Street where the Prime Minister was dining, a 27-year-old man was arrested for assaulting a police officer.” “A second man was taken into custody for obstructing,” stated the Vancouver police.
#VPDNews: Here's some video clips of Sgt Steve Addison providing an update to the media today about the man arrested last night for assaulting a police officer during a protest that surrounded a restaurant in Chinatown where the Prime Minister was dining last night. pic.twitter.com/gD16nWmxK3
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) November 15, 2023
A separate restaurant in a different area of the Pacific coast city, operated by famous chef Vikram Vij, was the scene of earlier heckling directed against Trudeau. A few demonstrators were seen in videos released by the local media yelling at the prime minister to call for a ceasefire in Gaza as they entered Vij’s restaurant.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, sharply criticized Justin Trudeau on Tuesday for voicing concerns over the deaths “of women, of children, of babies” in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Following the 1,200-person onslaught by Hamas last month, Canada has insisted that Israel has the right to self-defense against the terrorist organization. Nonetheless, it has voiced growing alarm over the death toll in the enclave—11,000 people, according to local health officials—just like the US and other allies have.
