A Quebec court has temporarily prohibited protests near several Jewish institutions in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough following back-to-back demonstrations outside community buildings in recent days.
According to an injunction granted Tuesday, protests are banned within 50 metres of the Federation CJA building and the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, which requested the injunction.
The order also applies to the Cummings Centre, the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA, Herzliah High School and United Talmud Torahs of Montreal Inc.
The injunction is valid for the next 10 days. It was served to several groups:
- Independent Jewish Voices.
- Montreal4Palestine.
- Palestinian Youth Movement Montreal.
- Alliance4Palestine.
The injunction also mentions an individual by the name of Bara Iyad Abuhamed. The ban appears to prohibit anyone, regardless of their affiliation, from protesting.
The court order comes after an event held at Montreal’s Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue spurred a demonstration followed by a counter-protest Tuesday evening.
The Montreal chapter of Independent Jewish Voices, one of the defendants in the injunction, organized a protest against an Israel real estate event, claiming it marketed property in the West Bank, where over two million Palestinians live under Israel’s military occupation, according to the United Nations (UN).
CBC News confirmed that Noam Homes, the commercial real estate agency based in Jerusalem, which held the event, does have listings in the West Bank on its website. However CBC does not know if Tuesday’s event featured any of those listings.
The company and the synagogue both declined to comment.
Montreal police set up a perimeter, taping off streets and separating opposing groups as both sides shouted at each.
Another demonstration took place Monday outside the Federation CJA building, with demonstrators attempting to block access to the building and harassing those trying to enter, the CJA said in a statement.
“The protests we’ve decried for weeks have escalated into a hate mob targeting Jewish institutions,” the statement reads.
“Jews must be able to gather without the need for protection.”
The injunction authorizes plaintiffs to call on police to enforce the order.
