Violence at a Toronto speaking event has sparked calls for more scrutiny on Israeli soldiers entering Canada, with some saying they should be barred entry or investigated for potential participation in war crimes related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Police arrested and charged six protesters after an event organized by a Toronto Metropolitan University student group Students Supporting Israel (SSI) this month that featured Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers as speakers.
While SSI blamed protesters for a chaotic scene that included screaming and a broken glass door – protesters can be seen on video banging on the venue’s front doors as they are being held off by police — clips shared by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Toronto show one of the IDF soldiers grabbing and shoving protesters.
I would certainly say that anyone coming over for the explicit purpose of representing the IDF in some way is “IDF soldier” enough to ban. And I would further argue that anyone serving in the most recent conflict may need to be investigated further before being allowed in.