Effigies of US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and what appeared to be National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were paraded through Montreal on Sunday at an anti Israel rally, according to videos published on social media by Montreal for Palestine.
The effigies drew outrage from Canadian politicians and Jewish community groups, angered by footage of an effigy of a figure with a white kippah.
The effigy with the white kippah appeared to be a representation of Ben-Gvir, with a TikTok video from an April 19 protest showing an identical figure with the face of the Israeli minister.
Officials condemn effigies as antisemitic
Montreal city councillor Leslie Roberts said on social media that he asked the Montreal Police Service to investigate the incident, which he called unacceptable.
Mount Royal Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather responded to a video published by Rebel News, saying that "hanging an image of a Jew wearing a kippah in effigy is disgusting, antisemitic, and a clear incitement to hatred."
Deputy opposition leader Melissa Lantsman cast blame for the display of radicalism at the feet of the Liberal federal government, arguing that their legislation against antisemitism was "window dressing."
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on X that such violent imagery showed that the protest was not about Middle Eastern geopolitics, but instead antisemitism.
"Hanging effigies of Jews in the streets of Montreal evokes some of the darkest antisemitic imagery in history and is completely unacceptable," said CIJA. "This is not 'peaceful activism.' It is the promotion of hatred and the incitement of violence that fuels the radicalization of our social climate."
Protest held in solidarity with Gaza, activist flotilla
Montreal for Palestine said that it held the protest in solidarity with Gaza and the activist flotilla that had been intercepted by Israeli naval forces last week attempting to breach its blockade.
Activists in the Canadian city have previously garnered controversy for their use of effigies, with JTA reporting in November 2024 that protesters burned an effigy of Netanyahu. The night also reportedly saw windows smashed, vehicles burned, police officers attacked, and smoke bombs set off. Then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau condemned the behavior as "appalling."
“Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them," Trudeau said at the time.