Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow held the annual Mayor’s Skating Party in Nathan Philips Square Sunday, which was interrupted by demonstrators.
While addressing the media about the free skating event, Chow was interrupted several times by protestors with megaphones waving Palestinian flags.
Several security guards stepped in to create a barrier between the mayor and the demonstrators.
Chow remarked how important this skating event was to her, and that she considers Nathan Philips Square a special place from her childhood.
While explaining the event’s activities, Mayor Chow paused to address one of the demonstrators who was interrupting her, saying “I already put out a statement calling for a ceasefire.”
Eventually, the situation escalated, and Chow was escorted off the ice while demonstrators continued to protest the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
After she exited the rink, demonstrators could be heard saying to skaters “while you’re skating, bombs are dropping.”
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been raging since Oct. 7, 2023.