Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside Joly’s house, causing concern about safety

A pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the house of Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly has fueled the calls for the government to consider Security measures to protect politicians against protests against their homes.

A group of up to 60 demonstrators sang slogans, called bells, hit pots and projected messages on Mrs. Joly’s house in Montreal on Wednesday evening, in an escalation of protest activity about the situation in Gaza.

Mrs. Joly was Minister of Foreign Affairs until this spring, making her a central figure in the government’s response to the war in Israel-Hamas.

The demonstration came a week after the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, closed her constituency office because of protests there.

Mrs. Joly’s office would not comment on the protest. The RCMP would not say whether they offer the minister extra protection after the demonstration.

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Manuel Couture, a spokesperson for the Montreal municipal police, said that officers attended the protest after receiving 911, but no arrests were made or tickets were issued. The protest was peaceful, without reports of injuries or cases of disaster, he said.

Current and former MPs responded to the protest by calling for more protection for politicians.

Liberal Parliament member Anthony Housefather told the Globe and Mail that he thought it was aimed at people’s private homes inappropriate and said that the ministers of public safety and justice should see if more security measures are needed to deal with such protests.

Former liberal parliament member Pam Damoff, who did not run in the last elections after they were confronted with intimidation and receiving death threats, said in an interview that she thought that an upcoming bill of Bufferzones between demonstrators and some sites, including community centers, should include the houses of politicians.

That bill is drawn up by Minister of Justice Sean Fraser. It would make it It is a crime to deliberately hinder access to any worship, religious school or cultural center and to intimidate or threaten those who attend those locations. The legislation is expected to be introduced later this year.

“Often MPs are not at home. The MP will be or travel in Ottawa, and the people who are at home are the husband and families who are subject to things like this. It’s really scary,” said Mrs. Damoff.

MPs currently have panic buttons linked to local police services. The RCMP said in a statement that “it is mandatory to protect ministers from the crown and those who have been designated by the Minister of Public Security to receive protection on case.”

“Protective measures have been led and based on the latest risk and threat assessments, continuous security reasons and a number of other factors,” said it, adding that it does not confirm whether people receive police protection.

Yves Engler, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist who was outside Mrs. Joly’s house, said it was partly because other protests about the situation in Gaza had not received the attention they deserved.

Mr. Engler, a campaigner and author who has announced his intention to go for the leadership of the NDP, denied that the protest, which was estimated to be attended by between 40 and 60 people, came down to intimidation at Mrs. Joly’s home address.

He said that he had demonstrated several times outside of both her driving and campaign offices, adding that protests outside a politician’s house is his least favorite option.

But he said that the decision to focus on her house had a public element to draw attention to the situation in Gaza. He said there is a history of protest outside the home addresses of politicians, both in Canada and in the United States, and Mrs. Joly’s house had previously been the target of protests.

“The tactics that escalated here are literally just people who gather in a public street with the police around, with children there,” he said, adding That they were no danger to anyone.

Mr. Engler has previously posted videos on social media that show him that he is asking politicians in public about their response to the war in Gaza and sometimes follow them to their car and opening their car doors.

He was charged in February due to intimidation against a personality of social media, but the charges were withdrawn last month. However, the charges that claim that he has harassed a Montreal police investigator who worked on the case, is still planned for November.

Emma Khalil, an organizer of the Pro-Palestinian protest outside Mrs. Joly’s house, said it was peaceful, with some pounding pots and bells, while a projected image on Mrs. Joly’s ownership called her a liar. Some wore homemade posters with slogans and messages were chalked on the sidewalk.

She said that protesters also left a printed book at her door with the names of children killed in Gaza.

Mrs. Khalil defended the demonstrators’ decision to go to Mrs. Joly’s house and denied that it was intrusive and said they had previously gone to liberal rallies and events to try to talk to her, as well as to her office, where they ‘were locked up’.

“We have written all the MPs. We went to all liberal rallies that took place in Montreal. We had petitions. We called their offices. We asked very respectful to be seen,” she said.

She said the demonstrators called for Mrs. Joly to resign.

The demonstrators claim that Canada sent the weapons to Israel after the guarantees in 2023 by Mrs Joly, when she was Minister of Foreign Affairs, that there would be no more export of weapons to Israel.

She referred to a report that was published at the end of July stating that weapons, ammunition and military components were sent to Israel in 2024 and 2025.

Mrs. Anand has issued a statement stating that no bullets or mortars have been sent to Israel and that Canada continues to deny export permits for materials that can be used in Gaza.

Her spokesperson James Fitz-Morris said that the report of demonstrators is ‘deep inadequate’.

Antoine Laurier, who was also on the protest outside madam Joly’s house said he expected such demonstrations to take place.