Al-Quds Day rally in Toronto proceeds after judge rules against Ford government's attempt to block it

An Al-Quds daylight rebound took to the streets nigh the U.S. Consulate in Toronto sat, after an Ontario superordinate Court justice ruled that the demonstration could continue as planned.

Attendee Stephen Ellis, who is also a lawyer for rally organizers, said everyone is "very happy" that the injunction was dismissed, but the morning was filled with "fear-mongering" and "desperation."

"We were confident it wasn't going to succeed. It's absurd that they would abrogate our rights," he said. "The attempt for the injunction was a politically motivated attack on our rights and so we were happy to vindicate those rights today."

"We live in a period of intense crisis all over the world," Ellis added. "We have to build a better world and that's more important now than ever before."

The justice's decision comes after two Toronto city councillors and Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for an injunction to prevent the rally from happening.

In a post to social media Friday, Ford asked the attorney general to act and called the demonstration a "breeding ground for hate and antisemitism."

A superior court hearing was held at noon Saturday with lawyers representing the attorney general and the Al-Quds Day committee. The justice said he would share more details on his decision later in the day.

Al-Quds Day has been described by Toronto organizers as a show of support for Palestine. Social media posts promoting the event say demonstrators will also be calling for "no war in Iran and Lebanon."

In a post to social media Saturday afternoon, Ford said he was "extremely disappointed" with the court's decision.

"While the judge cited Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, when we talk about rights we need to be clear that every person has the right to safety and security," he said. "We need to be clear that no one in Canada has the right to incite violence or free licence to intimidate and hate."

The premier added the event has long been "a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism."

"I won't stop working to put an end to the hatred and division that runs too rampant on Canada's streets," Ford said. "I won't stop working to protect the greatest province in the greatest country in the world."

A counter-protest also took place outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto Saturday. Organizer Salman Simr said it's "disgusting" that the Al-Quds Day rally is defending the Iranian regime and believes that Ford could've done more to stop it from happening.

"It was a political show by Ford," he said. "He doesn't need any court order. He's a premier and he has a duty, he has power and full authority to implement the law."

"If Ford, [Prime Minister] Mark Carney, Toronto police, [Toronto] Mayor [Olivia] Chow, they don't want to do their job, we the people ... Have the duty to stand," he added.

Toronto police said Thursday they planned to increase their presence in the area of the Al-Quds Day rally.

They said approximately 3,000 people were anticipated to attend, but that number could be higher given recent tensions in the Middle East and local communities.

In a post to social media Saturday, Toronto police said two arrests were made at a demonstration in the area of University Ave. And Armoury St. Toronto police did not disclose which rally those arrested were connected to and said more information would be released by way of a news release at a later time.

Ford's injunction bid came following heightened unease in the Greater Toronto Area after shots were fired at three synagogues and the U.S. Consulate in the past two weeks.

Civil liberty groups have called the province's move an extraordinary and dangerous step to curtail rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.

Meanwhile the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs applauded the province's move for an injunction Friday, saying the rally is "a platform for extremist rhetoric, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and support for terrorist organizations."

Al-Quds, taken from the Arabic word for Jerusalem, has been a magnet for controversy in part because of it was popularized in Iran after the 1979 revolution. The event is held typically on the last Friday of Ramadan.

One of Ford's first promises as premier in 2018 was an outright ban on the protest.

The British government, after a request from police, banned the Al-Quds Day march in London this year.

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