Terrorism supporters targeting Toronto Jewish neighbourhood test definition of 'residential area'

Despite new restrictions, demonstrators were permitted to march past apartment buildings, preschools, and seniors’ homes.

Scarlett Grace
  |   March 31, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   3 Comments

On March 29, 2026, pro-“Palestine” (pro-Hamas) demonstrators once again descended on the largest Jewish neighbourhood in Canada, gathering at the intersection of Bathurst and Sheppard.

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel, members of Toronto’s Jewish community began holding weekly rallies at this intersection, calling for the release of hostages in Gaza and showing support for one another. These gatherings continued every Sunday for two years, until the last living hostages were returned. In 2024, pro-“Palestine” demonstrators began counter-protesting directly across the street, targeting the Jewish community.

While rallies in support of Israel concluded in October 2025, the pro-Hamas demonstrations did not. Instead, demonstrators began marching through the neighbourhood, including down residential streets—chanting antisemitic slogans in front of Jewish homes.

After months of this, Toronto Police announced that demonstrations would no longer be permitted on residential streets. In response, organizers promoted another protest, framing the restriction as an infringement on their rights.

Despite significant online attention, only 19 demonstrators showed up. Still, the police presence was substantial. Dozens of police vehicles filled the plaza at Bathurst and Sheppard, and officers on foot, bicycles, and in cruisers followed the march while blocking access to side streets.

Towards the end of the march, when demonstrators finally returned to the main intersection, they were met by a man wearing a blue burqa and a Pride flag, sitting silently near a gas station. He remained there without speaking for about five minutes while the mob shouted accusations of Islamophobia. When he packed up his costume and attempted to leave, police detained him and held him for approximately half an hour.

And I’ll remind you that months ago, when someone from the pro-“Palestine” side cosplayed as Yahya Sinwar—chair and stick included—police did not detain, surround, or investigate him.

Although residential side streets were restricted, demonstrators were still allowed to march along main roads, where people also live. Along the route were apartment buildings, seniors’ residences, synagogues, and preschools. Residents, including elderly individuals in a kosher seniors’ home, watched from behind curtains as chants for the destruction of the only Jewish state echoed through their neighbourhood.

This raises a key question: what defines a “residential area”? While side streets—where most houses are located—were protected, many residents on main streets were not, including some of the community’s most vulnerable. And how is it justified to allocate such significant police resources to escort a group of just 19 demonstrators—particularly when public support for terrorist organizations is illegal in Canada?

I reached out to the Toronto Police Service for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

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Scarlett Grace

Anti-Discrimination Reporter

Scarlett Grace is a Canadian journalist and musician from Peterborough, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Trent University and has spent over a decade performing live and releasing original music.

In 2022, her involvement in Canada’s freedom movement marked a turning point in her career and public voice. She later joined Rebel News, where she works as an anti-discrimination journalist, reporting extensively on the rise of antisemitism in Canada and the Iranian uprising.

https://twitter.com/ScarlettGrace92

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  • Barb Morrison
    commented 2026-04-02 20:54:01 -0400
    Thank you for a fantastic news of the protest. I love it when you asked the cbc if they will tell the truth. That was a mic drop. I feel so sad for the Jewish people. We need to get rid of the corrupted liberals.
  • Marilyn Hagerman
    commented 2026-04-02 19:40:17 -0400
    These Iranian Islamic terrorists are living on borrowed time! President Trump will ensure all efforts at rule and killing by the murderous ayatollahs is permanently wiped out across the free world. Then Canada needs Poilievre as our leader and quick riddance to the communist Carney regime!
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-03-31 19:24:27 -0400
    As usual, the terrorists play the victim card. I bet they’d object to a Christian group preaching Christ in their neighbourhoods. Worse yet, they’re too dense to realize their hypocrisy.