A pro-Israel student event at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) was attacked on Wednesday when masked pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the venue, leaving one person injured and causing property damage.The event, organized by Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at TMU, featured two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) veterans as part of a national speaking tour called Combat on Campus..Videos shared on social media show pro-Israel attendees barricading themselves behind a glass door as protesters — who have been identified as members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — gathered outside, shouting and attempting to break in.Toronto Police Service (TPS) has confirmed that officers were called at 1:13 p.m. to a building near Elm Street and Bay Street, where demonstrators allegedly damaged property and entered a common area where students had gathered.One of the IDF veterans was injured after being cut by broken glass when protesters reportedly used a drill bit to shatter a glass door he was trying to hold closed..In some of the footage posted, a member of the masked group can be heard yelling, “We refuse to allow war criminals in our city,” while pro-Israel students can be heard repeatedly shouting, “Get out!” and “Call 911!”TPS confirmed on Thursday that five people had been arrested in connection with the incident.A 21-year-old from Toronto was charged with obstruction, a 23-year-old from Toronto with forcible entry and unlawful assembly, and a 29-year-old from Toronto with obstruction and assaulting a peace officer. A 25-year-old from Oakville and a 22-year-old from Toronto face charges of forcible entry, unlawful assembly, and obstruction of a peace officer.Toronto police say the investigation is still ongoing.Canadian Jewish advocacy organizations condemned the attack and called on TMU’s administration to act..B’nai Brith Canada said in a statement that the university bears “direct responsibility for addressing the conduct of the SJP, an official student group.”“Allowing a registered organization to engage in violent intimidation under TMU’s name is unacceptable and cannot be excused as free expression or protest,” the statement said.“TMU has long been aware of growing hostility toward Jewish students on and around its campus. This pattern has now escalated into violence.”.Hillel Ontario said, “what happened today is the direct result of a culture of impunity."Over and over again, Jewish groups have raised our voices, calling for SJP to simply be held to the same standards that every other student group is expected to meet. Each time the university failed to act. Each time, it turned a blind eye to hatred.“Each time, it sent a message: that Jewish safety is negotiable, that Jewish pain is inconsequential, and that the rules simply do not apply to those who target us.”
