Security threat against Trudeau all of Canada's concern
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jan 30, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
It's not acceptable to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as vulnerable as he was on Monday when angry protesters descended on his vehicle.
Images taken from a video that showed protesters descending on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s motorcade. (Meir Weinstein video)
It’s just not acceptable to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as vulnerable as he was on Monday when an angry mob of protesters descended on his vehicle.
It was a serious security incident caught on camera that once again raises concerns about the safety of Canada’s prime minister while illustrating a vitriolic mood among some Canadians.
While Trudeau was not hurt, video taken in Gatineau, Que., just across the river from Ottawa Monday night, not only shows angry protesters getting close to the country’s leader but that his RCMP-led protection detail was forced to quickly spirit him into a different car than intended and executed a faster-than-normal exit.
“Shame, shame, Trudeau, shame, shame, Trudeau,” the “free Palestine” protesters — calling for a ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza war — shouted. “Shame on you, shame on you.”
Trudeau originally looked in their direction but — after being prompted by his protection detail of about eight plain-clothes officers — was guided with a hand on his back not to his SUV but to a lead car that had a clearer path of escape.
About a dozen protesters, wearing kufiyahs and carrying posters, could be seen running along the street toward both cars. One of the protesters veered onto the street, but officers set up a blocking line to keep the person at bay while the car transporting Trudeau sped off.
Seconds later, the SUV — carrying security personnel — also left in haste to rude heckling that included the taunt, “you guys are cowards.”
While they did get the PM out of there safely, it was not a smooth exit, which raises questions about his safety.
The Prime Minister’s Office said, “we are unable to comment on matters related to the Prime Minister’s security.” The RCMP or Ottawa4Palestine, which organized the event, have yet to return requests for comment.
There does not appear to be any arrests, even though demonstrators were far more animated and presented a greater risk than journalist David Menzies, of Rebel News, ever did with Trudeau in 2021 or with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland earlier this month. On both those occasions, he was physically detained by the RCMP.
But even though there were no detentions in Gatineau, it does not change concerns about the escalation of animosity toward Trudeau, who was at this location as a backup site for a planned memorial in honour of the seventh anniversary of the Quebec City mosque mass-shooting murders. A gathering was supposed to be at a Gatineau Islamic Centre but was moved at the last minute to this address.
Canadian Press also reported that the National Council of Canadian Muslims “abruptly cancelled a meeting Monday” with Trudeau because of his lack of action “to protect Palestinians” or display “tangible action” on Islamophobia.
“We no longer think it’s productive to speak with this prime minister,” chief executive Stephen Brown said in the CP story. “It has become clear that we seem to only get a sliver of policy reform when our lives, or our safety, is destroyed. Our government has failed to move on substantive hate-crime legislation” and to see “ease” on Israel’s war in Gaza.
Yet on Tuesday, Trudeau cabinet minister Ahmed Hussen posted on X “since the very beginning of the crisis, our position has always been, and continues to be, centred on the firm belief that more assistance is needed in Gaza—not less. Today, we’re stepping up our efforts with an additional $40M to help the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians” and “with this additional new funding, bringing our total to $100M, Canada is ranked among the top donors in the world.”
None of that has stopped the pressure protesters have put on Trudeau. They are organized and committed. On social media Monday, bulletins went out to protesters to muster at the location where Trudeau was diverted to in Gatineau.
It’s not the first time Trudeau has been greeted in a hostile manner.
Late last year, he was shouted down while visiting a mosque in Etobicoke, and earlier in 2023, protesters surrounded a restaurant he was in. In Hamilton in January 2023, he merely walked out of a restaurant through protesters and into a walkway that took him back to the hotel where he and his cabinet were staying. In the past, a protester has thrown gravel at him.
Mounties assigned to protect him have their hands full. But what happened in Gatineau appeared to have higher risk potential than past run-ins and a more animated police response.
“There is always a concern when the prime minister is at any risk,” said Meir Weinstein of Israel Now. “It’s something everybody should be focused on.”
Protest is fine, but any risk to the prime minister is unacceptable. These demonstrators were aggressive and angry.
If not for the efforts of the RCMP, Trudeau would have found himself right in the middle of a swarm of agitated protesters.
It's not acceptable to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as vulnerable as he was on Monday when angry protesters descended on his vehicle.
torontosun.com