Youth protection officials intervened Wednesday at an illegal Hasidic Jewish school operating in Park Extension.
Youth protection officials were accompanied by Montreal police officers in the raid on the building at 6355 Parc Ave. near Beaubien St.
Alex Werzberger, who is the president of the Outremont Hasidic Organizations, said 30 to 40 police officers along with the youth protection officers came into the school, which has about 40 to 50 students under the age of 11.
“It looked like a Mafia raid of something,” said Werzberger. “I don’t understand it. I don’t understand the terror, traumatizing little kids. If they had called up and made an appointment they would have been let in.”
Werzberger said the issue may have involved the religious curriculum, but claims the school also teaches the standard Quebec curriculum and that the safety of the students was never in question.
“There were more police than the kids. This was a (threat),” he said.
The school is located inside an old commercial building and reports say it did not have a permit to operate. Werzberger said it is a new school "trying to work out an agreement with the government."
Youth protection officials remain confidential, as they do on all cases involving minors.
Werzberger said the school and officials came to an agreement and allowed the children to carry out the day and go home on the school bus as usual, and that classes will resume Thursday.
He added that youth protection and police said they would follow up with a meeting in a few weeks.
