Toronto police have responded to a now-viral video showing officers delivering coffee to anti-Israel protesters during a recent demonstration.
The video, which was initially shared on X by lawyer and investigative journalist Caryma Sa’d, shows a Toronto police officer carrying a box of Tim Hortons coffee and mugs and handing them to a protester.
The recipient, dressed in Palestinian clothing, explained the delivery was not made by the police, but by someone else who bought coffee for protesters attempting an anti-Israel demonstration on the highway overpass. “But the police won’t let them in, so the police are now our little messengers between us,” the man said.
The clip received an outpouring of criticism online from critics who alleged preferential treatment by police of those protesting Israel, in contrast to how Canadian law enforcement has cracked down in the past on the “Freedom Convoy” of truckers protesting the COVID-19 mandate, as well some pro-life demonstrations.
Reached by Fox News Digital Sunday, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Laurie McCann said, “In regards to the coffee post at X, our officers are dealing with a dynamic situation.”
“Their top priority is maintaining order in the tense environment on the Avenue Road bridge,” McCann said in an email. “In carrying out the act of assistance yesterday, our officers’ motivation was to help keep tensions low and should not be interpreted as showing support for any cause or group.”
“Our officers continue to work to defuse these demonstrations and maintain public order and safety,” McCann added.
A Toronto police officer brought a box of Tim Hortons coffee and mugs and handed them to the protesters. @CarymaRules The recipient explained the delivery was not sent by the police, but by someone else who bought coffee for the protestors who attempted the anti-Israel demonstration on the highway overpass. @CarymaRules
The @LibsofTikTok account amplified the video that was viewed more than 1 million times on X, writing, “In Canada, patriotic truck drivers freeze their bank accounts but pro-Palestinian protesters blocking Jewish communities get hot coffee delivered to them by the police.”
In a post to his nearly 428,000 followers, Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant wrote, “@TorontoPolice giving coffee and donuts to Hamas supporters. @OttawaPolice conceals identity of antisemitic hate criminals. They have both been colonized by dangerous and awakened partisans.”
The video comes as Toronto police are investigating a fire and graffiti at a Jewish-owned grocery store as possible hate crimes.
The business, International Delicatessen Foods, on Steeles Avenue West near Petrolia Road, has the message “Free Palestine” spray-painted outside, the CBC reported.
The clip received an outpouring of criticism online from critics who alleged preferential treatment by police of those protesting Israel. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images
Toronto police confirmed to Fox News Digital that the incident was still under investigation as of Sunday.
In addition to the Toronto coffee video, Levant responded to a press release on Friday announcing that the Ottawa Police Hate and Hate Crimes Unit has charged an individual following “a series of violence against property incidents in the Downtown area in December.”
Police released the name of the suspect.
“On the evening of December 22, the individual painted a series of antisemitic symbols and other hateful messages in several locations in the Downtown and Golden Triangle areas. A 34-year-old Ottawa man has been identified and charged with 18 counts of Damage to property. He is expected to appear in court today,” the release read.
Toronto police confirmed to Fox News Digital that the incident was still under investigation as of Sunday. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images
Another critic, lawyer Ryan O’Connor, shared a screenshot of a post by another Toronto Police Service employee who initially defended the video, saying officers were managing a “dynamic situation.”
“So after a Toronto Police spokesperson — who defended police providing taxpayer-funded coffee to protesters blocking highway bridges and entrances to Jewish neighborhoods on the Sabbath — was criticized online, he simply deleted his Twitter account,” O’Connor claimed. .
“Toronto police: if you block a freeway bridge containing 1 of only 3 entrances to a neighborhood full of Jews, on the Sabbath, you can expect not to be arrested but to get a taxpayer-funded coffee for your efforts,” O ‘ Connor had written earlier, initially reacting to the video.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
