Canada: Planned demonstration in Montréal December 8

Event

Student activist groups are planning to hold a demonstration at the US Consulate in Montréal on Friday, December 8, in protest of the US announcement on Wednesday that it will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and begin making preparations to move the US Embassy to the city. The demonstration is planned from 12:00 to 17:00 (local time). Accordingly, the US Consulate will be closed from 11:30 through the end of the business day on Friday; normal consular services will resume on Monday, December 11. A heightened security presence and associated traffic disruptions are expected near the planned demonstration on Friday.

Context

On Wednesday, December 6, President Trump announced that the US officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians; no country has an embassy in Jerusalem. Many world leaders had strongly advised the US administration against the move, claiming it would render impossible the establishment of a Palestinian state and would inflame tensions across the Muslim world.

The US Congress passed a law in 1995 stipulating that the US Embassy in Israel be moved to Jerusalem by May 1999; US Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama all issued waivers every six months to delay the move throughout their respective tenures.

Advice

Individuals in Montréal are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all demonstrations and rallies due to the risk of violence, and follow all instructions issued by local authorities.