Police block off sidewalk to public near synagogue to halt pro-Hamas protesters

On Thursday, the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill once again hosted a real estate event regarding properties for sale in Israel.

When this same synagogue did so last year on a couple of occasions, predictably the pro-Hamas hooligans were not happy about that, claiming that the properties were “stolen land”.

And shockers, in addition to chanting genocide, the members of the new-age Hitler Youth Movement got violent at times.

In reaction to these vile demonstrations, the City of Vaughan adopted a motion protecting places of worship. Which is to say, there is a bubble zone for such places and that demonstrators cannot come within 100 metres of a place of worship. It carries a maximum penalty of $10,000.

Alas, when this bylaw was put to the test shortly after it was adopted last year, it proved to be a toothless tiger given that police and bylaw enforcement officers yet again turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Hamasholes trespassing on the synagogue’s property. Indeed, not a single ticket was issued.

In the aftermath, Vaughan Mayor Stephen Del Duca was not amused. In an exclusive interview with Rebel News, Mayor Del Duca promised this violation of the bylaw and the law would no longer be tolerated. And he promised the city will do better next time.

Well, the mayor kept his word. A huge police presence prevented the pro-Hamas mob from getting anywhere near the synagogue. There were also snowplows blocking off Clark Avenue, just in case a “truck of peace” might happen by.

Alas, on the downside, area residents and members of the media were also banned from walking on a public sidewalks. Which was nuts! Regular citizens and reporters are not troublemakers, but on this evening, there was no such thing as officer discretion.

Rebel News was able to interview Vaughan councillor Gila Martow. She promised that the events of Thursday will be reviewed and fine-tuned so that those who are not troublemakers are not denied their basic freedoms in the future.

We look forward to those reforms kicking in in the weeks ahead. We understand providing protection to private property. But public sidewalks and public streets are exactly that – public. To treat the entire postal code around the synagogue that night as though it were private property was a huge fumble by the York Regional Police Service. In fact, it might’ve been unconstitutional.

Let’s hope the police do a better job in the future when it comes to identifying the troublemakers versus law abiding citizens.

David Menzies

Mission Specialist

David “The Menzoid” Menzies is the Rebel News "Mission Specialist." The Menzoid is equal parts outrageous and irreverent as he dares to ask the type of questions those in the Media Party would rather not ponder.