Quebec's Tolerance for Palestinian Social Disruptions and Vilifications

"[Maintaining] peace, order and public safety, while allowing free expression [is part of the mandate for the Surete du Quebec (SQ)]."

"[Officers only intervene] to protect life and property, as well as to ensure everyone's peaceful and free exercise of their individual and collective rights."

Spokesperson, Surete du Quebec

le journal de quebec

 

 52-year-old Andre Therrien, a resident of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, learned through a Facebook page of a planned rally in his neighbourhood, called Stop General Dynamics, mounted by the Palestinian Youth Movement. Taking umbrage at the Palestinian Youth Movement planning a rally in his neighbourhood, he drove the short distance from  his home to the site on Saturday, planning to voice his objections to their appearance in his neighbourhood. Clearly, the constant 'protests' and pro-Palestinian marches through Montreal and elsewhere in the province have been disruptive to ordinary residents, many of whom resent that this group and others like them bring their violent-voiced and threatening presence all too often to the streets of Quebec's major city.

 

For the most part, these protests are aimed directly at Jewish Quebecers, whether they take place in residential areas with a heavy Jewish presence, or at Quebec's universities where they have mounted campus pro-Palestinian encampments whose purpose is to disseminate anti-Israel propaganda labelling the Jewish state genocidal against the Palestinian population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Both of which territories are the never-ending source of campaigns challenging Israel's legitimacy, along with frequent deadly attacks against Jewish Israelis. Ironically, as the source of the lethal attacks, the Palestinians describe themselves to sympathetic Western media as the 'victims' of Israeli 'aggression' and 'occupation'.

 

Mr. Therrien, to put it mildly is not enamoured of the Palestinian group's influence in his community. The protest was scheduled to take place at the Elisabeth Monette School, a five-minute walk from Mr. Therrien's home. "I don't want these groups in my neighbourhood", he explained in an interview that took place following the scheduled rally. He began to film the rally, when one of the group knocked his phone out of his hand. A 30-second video showed him approaching the masked demonstrators with their keffiyehs, those leading holding a banner that read "Genocide Dynamics".

 

Screenshot 2026-06-03 124944

 

The clip shows Mr. Therrien addressing the crowd in French, before his recording stops abruptly. That was when SQ officers informed him their presence had a purpose; to protect him. "OK, if you're going to protect me, I'm going to stand in front of the manifestation (protest)", he responded. At which time the officers arrested the man for "assault and obstruction", reflected by his aggressive behaviour manifested toward the protesters. "Charges related to the arrest may be laid at a later date", he was subsequently informed, as he was released, at that point.

 

Mr. Therrien could be seen speaking with police officers and protesters, before turning around and walking off. A video posted to social media by the X account Leviathan, documented the proceedings. The officers followed him, and then tackled him from behind, knocking him to the ground, punching him in the liver, and ultimately breaking his eyeglasses, before cuffing him. He was released soon afterward without charge in front of his vehicle, where his two dogs awaited  him.

 

Mr. Therrien explained later that he had gone directly to a police station to file a complaint where an officer on duty advised him to file it online, warning that charges against him would likely remain pending. 

 

The Facebook page of the Palestinian Youth Movement heralded its mission to "stop the expansion project of the General Dynamics factory in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield", promoting it as well on Instagram, adding that there were arrangements for two buses to ferry protesters to and from the site. A network of Montreal area pro-Palestinian groups; PYM Montreal, Montreal4Palestine (Divest for Palestine) and Monteregie Antifasciste are all networked on the Stop General Dynamic Facebook account. 

 

Also connected is activist Safa Chebbi who serves on the board of the federally funded L'Observatoire des inegalites raciales au Quebec, "an action group for the production of knowledge" to researchers, community and union actors, speaking on behalf of Divest for Palestine. She also acts as a spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla that annually sets off to break the Israeli government's sea blockade of Gaza.  

 

André Therrien says his glasses were broken after he was knocked to the ground by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., on May 30, 2026. André Therrien (used with permission)

 

All of which, taken together, makes one wonder why the provincial and municipal governments in Quebec fail to address the hate-mongering, socially divisive, ideologically-driven messaging of these groups which have brought a far-off, complex conflict of long duration and currency to Canada and more specifically Quebec. Their viral, disruptive gatherings openly calling for the destruction of a democratic nation, their offensives mounted against Jewish Quebecers, their alienation of ordinary non-Jewish Quebecers, express values that have no currency in Canada/Quebec. Yet nothing is ever done to dissuade these groups from their mission of malevolence against Jews in Canada whose constitutional rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are constantly imperilled.

 

Quebec, on the other hand, has demonstrated time and again why it bears the reputation of being the most Jew-hostile province in Canada. That its governments tolerate the presence of groups that set out to deliberately and with malice aforethought plan to estrange the province from its relationship with its Jewish citizens is obvious enough, and no one in authority appears to be particularly perturbed although all would be swift to avow that antisemitism is deplorable. Those who defy and have contempt for Canada's social compact and its laws against hate-mongering appear to have soft-handed treatment by both government and policing authorities.

 

Citizens who demand accountability from both in the matter of public order are given short shrift. Worse, in the instance of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield resident Andre Therrien, at the very time that the Surete du Quebec present themselves at such disturbing events to ensure that no undue and obvious violence erupts, it is not groups such as the Palestinian Youth Movement that are held to account, but members of the community who express their exasperation and profound annoyance at their presence, disrupting the social order with their campaigns of delegitimization and threats, who become the villains that the Surete must respond to with physical force. For shame! 

 

le journal de quebec