Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking heat this weekend for being seen partying at a Taylor Swift concert while pro-Palestinian protesters were coursing through downtown Montreal and burning and looting as they went.
Trudeau, who, along with being Labor Party Leader and the nation’s PM, also represents Papineau, a portion of Montreal, in the nation’s Parliament, but critics are blasting him for being about 330 miles away in Toronto for the Swift concert as his hometown burned.
A viral video shows a carefree Trudeau dancing to Swift’s song, “You Don’t Own Me,” as news was breaking about the riot in Montreal, Fox News reported.
Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.
— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024
The Prime Minister dances.
This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.
Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf
As Trudeau danced, a mob of people protesting against NATO and Israel paraded through the streets of Montreal setting off smoke bombs, burning effigies of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, causing property damage to buildings and cars, and holding pro-Palestinian flags and banners.
Montreal Police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc said at least three people were arrested for interfering with the police. And one civilian and several police officers suffered minor injuries. But protesters said nearly half a dozen were injured by police and had to seek medical treatment.
The riot was reportedly organized by Divest for Palestine and the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles.
Trudeau called the riot “appalling” and on X wrote, “Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable.”
But several members of Parliament blasted Trudeau for dancing the night away while the crisis brewed.
Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called for Canada to “bring back law and order.”
“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances. This is the Canada built by the Liberal government,” he wrote on X. “Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also blasted Trudeau over the concert frivolity and said that Trudeau was “too busy to condemn a violent Hamas takeover of our streets.”
He also accused Trudeau of making Canada into “a playground for foreign interference.”
Quebec Premier François Legault also took aim at Trudeau, saying, “Burning cars and smashing windows is not about sending a message, it’s about causing chaos. Such acts have no place in a peaceful society like Quebec.”
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