Police boosting presence in Montreal ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary of Israel-Hamas war

Montreal police deputy chief Vincent Richer, left, and Chief Insp. Mohammed Aziz Bouhdid speak to the media on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (CTV News)

Montreal police say they are increasing their presence across the city ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Deputy Chief Vincent Richer told reporters that police have been in contact with the city’s Jewish and Arab-Muslim communities and will focus much of their attention on places of worship over the next few days.

Numerous protests or vigils are planned for this weekend, including in front of McGill University, the site where students set up an encampment for several months demanding the school cut ties with Israel.

McGill has announced it will be restricting access to its campuses from Oct. 5 to 7 and has moved some of its classes online in anticipation of potential tensions that may boil over.

More than 340 protests related to the war in the Gaza Strip have taken place in Montreal over the past year, with police making more than 100 arrests.

Richer said police began putting more officers on the ground on Oct. 1 and will continue that approach for the next 24 days.

Earlier this week, police arrested five people in Montreal with incendiary devices in their possession, in separate incidents they say are linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

Police say they have recorded a total of 288 hate crime complaints since Oct. 7, 2023, with 213 targeting the Jewish community and 75 aimed at the Arab-Muslim community.

Forty-one people have been charged with hate crimes.

“We want to make sure that people feel safe in Montreal," Richer said.

-This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.