NEW DELHI: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was safely escorted from a Vancouver restaurant amidst a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The protest, involving around 250 individuals advocating for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, took place outside a Chinatown district eatery on Tuesday night.
The Vancouver Police Department reported that a contingent of 100 officers was deployed to manage and disperse the crowd, facilitating Trudeau's secure exit from the restaurant. During the event, one individual was apprehended for obstructing police, and another was detained for assaulting a police officer, who suffered a punch to the face and eye gouging.
Sgt. Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police addressed the media, highlighting concerns over the protesters' actions, including their obstruction of the lane behind the restaurant.
In a separate incident earlier that day, Trudeau faced heckling at a different restaurant in the city, owned by renowned chef Vikram Vij. Local media footage showed a small group of protesters entering Vij's restaurant, confronting the prime minister with demands for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Charlotte Kates, an organizer with the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, stated her participation in both protests. She emphasized the protesters' demand for Canada to take a firm stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, beyond merely urging Israel to show restraint.
Trudeau, earlier that day, had called for Israel to "exercise maximum restraint" in its conflict with Hamas, which has involved regular airstrikes in Gaza. Addison noted a marked increase in protest activity and emotional intensity in Vancouver since the beginning of the Israeli-Hamas war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing Trudeau in a social media post, said "the forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism."
With inputs from agencies
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