Montreal was shaken by intense protests this weekend as anti-NATO and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed violently with police. The city, which is hosting NATO’s annual summit, saw hundreds of protesters take to the streets in a peaceful march that quickly spiraled into chaos.
It all started on Friday afternoon when a large crowd gathered in a park at the heart of Montreal. The protesters were angry about NATO’s presence in the city, while others were showing support for Palestine in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Eventually, the two groups, although initially separate, came together.
What began as a peaceful protest soon turned violent. The situation escalated when the anti-Israel demonstrators burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The crowd grew more agitated, and they began throwing flares and projectiles at police officers, sparking a major confrontation.
A group of masked rioters moved down Rene-Levesque Boulevard, a busy street in the heart of Montreal, and started smashing windows of nearby stores. The violence didn’t stop there – they even set two vehicles on fire. The situation quickly got out of control, and riot police had to step in, using tear gas to push back the crowd.
By the end of the night, at least three people had been arrested. They were accused of attacking officers during the unrest. Local authorities worked quickly to try to restore order, but the protests served as a stark reminder of the growing frustration surrounding NATO’s actions in the region.
This all unfolded as hundreds of NATO delegates arrived in Montreal for the summit, which will run through the weekend. Key issues discussed at the summit include missile defense, climate change, and continued support for Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia. The protests, which were partly in response to NATO’s role in global politics, highlighted the deep divides within the city, as well as the growing anger over the war in Gaza.
Just a day before, tensions were already running high on the Concordia University campus, where pro-Palestinian students went on strike, demanding that NATO take responsibility for the violence in Gaza. For many, the NATO summit was a symbol of the international community’s failure to address the ongoing conflict. The protests in Montreal were just the latest chapter in this larger global debate, and they showed how powerful and disruptive the fight for change can be.
As the NATO summit continues, the city of Montreal remains on edge, with security measures in place to prevent further violence. The events of the weekend are a stark reminder that political tensions can quickly boil over, leaving cities like Montreal to pick up the pieces.
