Al-Quds Day rally to proceed in Toronto despite call by premier for injunction, lawyer says
CBC
An Al-Quds Day rally will proceed in Toronto on Saturday despite Ontario Premier Ford calling on his attorney general to seek an injunction against it, according to a lawyer for rally organizers.
Stephen Ellis said in an email Friday has not received a notice of a motion indicating that government has applied for an injunction.
Staff at a Toronto courthouse that handle the civil court's urgent motions also said no notice had appeared.
In a social media post Friday, Ford said he had asked the provincial attorney general to seek an injunction against the rally.
"Hate, violence and intimidation have no place on the streets of Canada and our government will fight it however we can," Ford said in the post.
Two city councillors, James Pasternak and Brad Bradford, also called on Friday for an immediate injunction to stop the rally.
Al-Quds Day has been described by Toronto organizers as a show of support for Palestine. Social media posts promoting the event say demonstrators will also be calling for "no war in Iran and Lebanon."
In a statement, Pasternak and Bradford said they urged city solicitors to take legal action to stop the rally. They said they also want Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to condemn the gathering.
In a social media post Friday, Bradford said the city failed to bring forward an application for an injunction Friday.
"Thank you for stepping up, Premier. I agree: public safety must come first," Bradford said.
Ford's comment comes after Toronto police said Thursday they plan to increase their presence in the area of the rally, which is set to begin at 3 p.m. outside the U.S. consulate, located on University Avenue north of Queen Street W.
Emergency management Supt. Craig Young has said police initially anticipated 3,000 people to attend the demonstration but the number could be higher given recent geopolitical tensions.
Young said the rally comes amid heightened unease and fears of violence in the city after shots were fired at three synagogues and the U.S. consulate in the past two weeks
Anyone who engages in violence or obstructs police "can expect that the law will be enforced swiftly and decisively," Young added.
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