A Toronto event where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was scheduled to host his Italian counterpart was cancelled on Saturday due to security concerns as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the venue, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Demonstrators outside the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) chanted that Trudeau was funding a genocide, and criticized the federal government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Police told CBC News there were roughly 200 to 300 protesters outside the AGO on Saturday, but noted it was difficult to estimate the total size of the demonstration as protesters gathered outside several entrances.
“Due to security concerns, the event was cancelled,” a spokesperson for the PMO told CBC News on Saturday night via email.
Would-be attendees gathered outside were confronted by demonstrators, with their paths to entry blocked. Some were later escorted to the building’s entrance by police.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen tried to enter through the main entrance, but protesters blocked his path and followed him for two blocks as he tried to enter a more secure location while flanked by police
Security personnel for the event also blocked reporters from getting inside.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s far-right prime minister since 2022, was in Toronto for meetings with Trudeau. The two G7 leaders discussed a wide range of topics, including what Meloni called the “very difficult Middle East crisis.”
