Toronto Police ban protests on Avenue Rd. highway overpass

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In an effort to keep the peace, Toronto Police have banned protests and demonstrations on the Avenue Rd. bridge over Hwy. 401.

Chief Myron Demkiw made the announcement Thursday during a hate crimes update at the monthly Toronto Police Services Board meeting.

“After a review of recent weeks events, demonstrations or the congregation of people on the Avenue Rd. bridge over the 401 will not be permitted,” Demkiw said at a press conference following the board meeting.

“If it becomes necessary, people can expect to be arrested.”

Demkiw said the recent protests in the area pose a public safety threat that has left many in the surrounding Jewish community feeling intimidated.

“In considering all the factors that have transpired over the recent weeks, it has been quite clear that our communities feel unsafe … particularly our Jewish communities in the vicinity of the Avenue Rd. bridge,” he said.

On Christmas Eve, pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters waved flags and set off flares on the highway overpass.

The demonstration led police to close a section of Avenue Rd. and the nearby Hwy. 401 on- and off-ramps.

To keep the peace, cops continued to shut down the roadway as demonstrators repeatedly protested in the area well into the new year.

In response, politicians and members of Toronto’s Jewish community have called for an end to the demonstrations on the highway overpass.

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Deputy federal Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman, who is Jewish and represents the GTA riding of Thornhill, said in early January protesters targeted the area because of the nearby Jewish neighbourhood.

“Remind everyone – which embassy, consulate, government office, legislative building is at this specific intersection in Toronto?” Lantsman said on social media site X. “Seems like the target is a Jewish neighbourhood, because it is.”

Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, echoed Lantsman’s concerns.

“Let’s be clear, the targeting of the Avenue Rd. overpass in north Toronto by the anti-Israel mob is far from random,” he posted on social media. “That overpass is a few hundred metres from a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood and is home to multiple synagogues and Jewish schools.”

More recently, Toronto Police faced criticism after officers were captured on video delivering coffee to pro-Palestinian protesters on Saturday.

Demkiw apologized for the “concern and confusion” caused by his officers’ response to the protesters and vowed to conduct a “thorough review” of the event.

“Whatever the intent, the impact has been to cause concern and confusion and for that I am sorry,” he said.

“I immediately convened command meetings and ordered a thorough review of the day’s events and to ensure that the most effective operational planning and responses are in place.”