EDITORIAL: A safe home is everyone’s right

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It’s axiomatic that the right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of any democracy. That said, the right is not unlimited.

Legitimate protest crosses the line to bullying and harassment when it targets children in schools and daycares, or when people are blocked from going about their legitimate business or to their place of worship. The same holds for those who target politicians or public figures at their private residences.

We may not agree with the policies of Industry Minister Melanie Joly. We certainly did not applaud her decision to be pictured arm-in-arm with Mahmoud Abbas, the antisemitic president-for-life of the Palestinian Authority.

This week, a group protesting the Liberal government’s policy on Gaza chose to hold a demonstration outside Joly’s home.

Protesters chanted, banged drums and projected an image on her house calling her a liar. This kind of behaviour can only be described as intimidating.

If demonstrators have a problem with Joly’s ministerial decisions, the place to express those concerns is Parliament Hill.

Joly, her family and neighbours have a right to security in their homes and to come and go without fear of provocation.

The chief organizer of the pro-Palestine demonstration, Yves Engler, said in a social media post that Joly should be held accountable for misleading Canadians on arms shipments to Israel.

On X, he wrote: “Melanie Joly to be held accountable for misleading Canadians. Melanie Joly to resign from any official roles. A full and immediate two-way arms embargo on Israel.”

He also called for “Canada’s referral to the International Criminal Court for complicity in genocide.”

Engler is running for the leadership of the NDP, a role for which he’s uniquely qualified. The party was decimated in the last election, in part because many of its MPs supported anti-Israel policies. He’s certainly a good fit to now drive the NDP into oblivion.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser is preparing a bill that would allow for so-called “buffer zones” that would prevent protests around places of worship, schools and community centres. Private residences should also be off limits — not just those of politicians, but for all Canadians.

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home.