Youth Lenient, Older Demographic Condemn Protest Violence: Poll

"Mask-wearing protest may serve to shield persons engaging in hate expression as seen in the recent case of Montrealer Mai Abdelhadi, who engaged in hate speech in front of the main campus of Concordia University."

"The survey indicates that Canadians do not regard hate expression as protected free speech. In that regard, it is important to determine whether Ms. Abdelhadi's vile utterances violate our country's anti-hate laws and, if so whether legislators should proceed accordingly."

"The poll serves as an important reminder that Canadians regard acts of vandalism as indefensible and that they cannot be justified as political gestures."

"Canadians also desire greater accountability on the part of persons engaging in protest that condones vandalism and/or hate speech."

Jack Jedwab, president, Association for Canadian Studies

Demonstrators fill Ste-Catherine St. during Friday’s protest. Photo: John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette

 

A new poll conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies by Leger found that close to three-quarters of Canadians (74 percent) reject as unacceptable property destruction during protests. Politically motivated violence and vandalism is rejected by an overwhelming majority of Canadians. The poll results represent a firm rebuke in response to the recent riots in Montreal when anti-Israel and anti-NATO social 'activists' smashed windows, torched cars and clashed violently with police. 

That most of the rioters also wore masks with the obvious intention of hiding their identities is another item that most Canadians are opposed to. A common practise for anti-Israel activists who frequently hold disruptive protests in Montreal, Toronto and other areas and cities across the country, since the terrorist attacks on Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023 by Hamas. Mask wearing finds only 23 percent of respondents saying that it is an acceptable practise.

When views expressed at these protests are 'overtly racist', a minority of 29 percent believe free speech should be protected. The individual mentioned, Abdelhadi, was a franchisee of a Second Cup cafe situated within Montreal's Jewish General Hospital who used a Nazi salute against pro-Israel demonstrators challenging their opposite numbers, pointedly chanting "The Final Solution is coming". The result of which was that the franchise within the hospital was speedily shut down by the cafe chain, sundering its contract with the franchisee.

Poll results found that support for violence during protests was highest with younger Canadians; a third of those between 18 and 24, and close to a quarter of 25 to 34-year-olds stating that such actions are justified to achieve political goals. Rates of agreement with vandalism were similarly observed when the results were segmented based on status of employment with over a quarter of students (26.4 percent) maintaining that destruction of public property meant "to send a political message is acceptable".

Poll responders in the  retirement category (87.1 percent) and self-employed individuals (75.6 percent) were most emphatically opposed to such demonstrations where destroying property occurred. As opposed to part-time workers finding such behaviour acceptable, at 19.3 percent. Politically motivated violence was rejected by Montrealers in particular, with 81 percent condemning it in any circumstances, in comparison with a response of 65 percent in Vancouver.

Riot police line the sidewalk on St-Laurent Blvd. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette