Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is being accused of letting the city descend into a state of “anarchy.”
Two “concerned citizens” who remain anonymous to protect their safety have sent the mayor a legal notice, asking her to find a solution to what they call unlawful and hateful gatherings.
The notice states that there have been more than 30 protests since October during which “extreme groups” have assembled “with the view of spreading hate and interfering with the daily lives of Montrealers under the guise of freedom of speech.”
“Where is the mayor, where is the plan? Where are the consequences? The atmosphere that has been created is one of anarchy,” says the citizens’ lawyer, Neil Oberman.
“The law does not protect hate speech, hate assembly, obstructing public transportation, public thoroughfares, buildings, businesses and obstructing the daily lives of good citizens.”
The notice also mentions Plante failed to answer a letter sent on behalf of several municipalities asking for more police reinforcement.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel has affected several Montreal families directly on both sides.
Meanwhile, the mayor says she understands it’s distressing to many, but protests are legal.
“Walking, protesting is a right that not the mayor of Montreal can forbid. It’s within the charter of rights in the Canadian Charter and the Quebec Charter,” Plante told Global News.
She says she is working with Montreal police and different communities to ensure the safety of all Montrealers.
Protesting peacefully is a fundamental and constitutional right.
But the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says there is a line.
“Criminal activity is the line,” said Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, the association’s executive director and general counsel.
Mendelsohn Aviv says that includes trespassing on private property and hate speech.
“If people are committing offences in private spaces, that is something that police should be investigating, assessing, providing a presence and ultimately stopping, which is separate from the question of lawful protests and peaceful assembly,” Mendelsohn Aviv says.
The two concerned citizens say they will take Plante to court if she fails to take action against these types of protests.