Police in Toronto were seen getting fresh coffee for pro-Palestinian protesters who were blockading a Jewish facility on Saturday, according to videos that circulated on social media and Canadian media.
In a video initially posted by a Toronto lawyer and online commentator on X, a police constable for the city was seen passing out a large cardboard box filled with coffee to a group of anti-Israel protesters blocking a bridge within Toronto's largest Jewish community.
Toronto police tweeted at 1:16 p.m. on Saturday that the bridge would be closed and that officers were responding to “keep demonstrators and passing traffic safe.”
Police deliver box of Tim Hortons coffee to protesters on behalf of those who cannot join the highway overpass. #cdnpoli #Toronto #Palestine #Israel #Gaza #ProtestMania pic.twitter.com/tAzaEFxFM4
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Satirist (@CarymaRules) January 6, 2024
Canadian media reported that a police spokesperson claimed officers were merely "managing a dynamic situation" regarding security and that they were not showing a sign of support.
Rewarding bad behavior?
A Canadian member of Parliament, Marco Mendicino, criticized the police's actions. While police claimed they were trying to diffuse the situation and "keep tensions low," MP Mendicino added that police intentions just contributes to the problem.
Police deliver box of Tim Hortons coffee to protesters on behalf of those who cannot join the highway overpass. #cdnpoli #Toronto #Palestine #Israel #Gaza #ProtestMania pic.twitter.com/tAzaEFxFM4
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Satirist (@CarymaRules) January 6, 2024
“Good intentions aside, police serving coffee and food to protestors will just embolden more deliberate obstruction of traffic, undermine public safety, and add to local frustrations,” he posted on X. “Laws exist to prevent this. They need to be enforced!”
In a statement to Canadian media, B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn called the officer’s actions “absurd” and “comically naive.” “Welcome to 2024, where the City of Toronto’s latest political strategy appears to be the encouragement of further lawlessness, escalation and antisemitism, all with a friendly face,” he said in a statement.“Are our brave police officers being encouraged to act as Uber Eats drivers by our political leaders? This is unacceptable. Antisemitism is not a punchline, but today it was made into one by strategists who clearly have no comprehension of the damage they are doing to our country.”