TORONTO —
A pro-Palestinian rally went ahead in Toronto with waving flags, drums, chants and a large police presence, including officers observing from the top of buildings, Saturday after an Ontario judge tossed out the government’s move to pre-emptively block it.
Some of the approximately 4,500 people that Toronto police said attended the Al-Quds Day rally waved Palestinian and Iranian flags and chanted “Free Palestine” while some counter-protesters carried the flags of Israel and the pre-revolution Iran.
Less than an hour before the afternoon rally began outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown, a court dismissed the 11th hour request by Premier Doug Ford’s government for an injunction against it, calling the rally a “breeding ground for hate and antisemitism.”
Ford’s allegations were swiftly condemned by civil liberty groups, with organizers calling the injunction request an attempt to silence Palestinian solidarity and criticism of Israel.
After the court’s decision on Saturday, Ford said in a social media post he was “extremely disappointed” and that Al-Quds Day “has long been a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism.”
“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,” the post said.
“We need to be clear that no one in Canada has the right to incite violence or free licence to intimidate and hate.”
However, during Saturday’s court hearing, lawyers for the province acknowledged there was no evidence the rallies had ever resulted in criminal charges against demonstrators.
Anna Zalik, a Jewish Canadian professor, called Ford’s request for an injunction “political theatre” while at Saturday’s rally.
“People still have freedom of expression in this country and I hope we continue to fight for it,” she said.
She disagreed with Ford’s characterization of the rally as antisemitic and hateful.
“This is a very important day for the Palestinian people. … I knew I wanted to be here….This is a movement for peace. This is a movement for justice,” she said.
“I’m also horrified by the war that the United States and Israel are carrying out against Iran, and the way it’s spiralling out of control with no real exit.”
The American and Israeli attack on Iran took place on Feb. 28.
The countries have been exchanging attacks since, further pushing the Middle East into turmoil and escalating global economic worries as tensions mount around the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about one-fifth of the world’s oil where shipping has effectively ground to a halt.
Toronto police expanded their presence at the rally citing heightened unease around the Iran war and the shots fired at three synagogues and the U.S. Consulate in the past two weeks.
The global rally is broadly billed as an event for solidarity with Palestinians and an end to Israeli occupation of their territories. Organizers in Toronto promoted this year’s event with a call for “no war on Iran and Lebanon”.
Shayan, who wasn’t comfortable giving his last name, said he came out to express his opposition to the Al Quds Day rally and his support for the war on Iran.
“I’m here to support the beautiful people of Iran and we’re standing here with our Israeli friends,” he said.
“People in Iran don’t have food to eat…They’re getting killed in the streets. They want regime change. Israel and America are helping the Iranian people killing the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) affiliates and top officials….These people cannot understand,” he added, while pointing toward the pro-Palestinian protesters.
Al-Quds, taken from the Arabic word for Jerusalem, has been a magnet for controversy in part because it was popularized in Iran after the 1979 revolution.
One of Ford’s first promises as premier in 2018 was an outright ban on the protest. The British government supported a ban on this year’s rally in London.
Jamal, who did not want to give his last name for fear of possible employment repercussions, said it was important for him to show up at the rally to simply support the Palestinian people.
“The Palestinian cause is something I grew up with,” he said.
“When they were forced from their home is something that I was taught. Because of that I have sympathy for their people and their struggle.”
He called Ford’s attempt to block the protest “crazy.”
“I don’t see anything here that’s a threat to national security.”
The rally lasted several hours before people began slowly dispersing.
Al-Quds Day rallies also took place across the world Saturday.
Iranian state television reported a large explosion rocked a square in Tehran that was filled with people for annual Quds Day demonstrations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.
— With files from the Associated Press
The Canadian Press
