There was a heavy police presence downtown on Monday as Montrealers gathered on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Officers from the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) – some on horseback – and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) were present as protesters assembled near Concordia University on Monday afternoon.
Concordia campus security was also on site.
About 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and 251 people were taken hostage.
Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s strikes and the war with Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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Montreal police vowed to step up security in the lead-up to the anniversary, saying their goal was to ensure the Jewish and Arabic Muslim communities felt safe.
A visibility plan was put in place on Oct. 1 that added officers in areas where there are more Jewish or Muslim places of worship and other institutions.
As of Oct. 1, Montreal police say there have been some 350 demonstrations in the city linked to the conflict in the Middle East, with officers making 106 arrests.
