Ontario, Canada, October 21: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was booed during his visit to a mosque in Toronto over his response to the Israel-Hamas war, The Toronto Sun reported.
According to The Toronto Sun, Liberal MPs in Canada are joining calls by Muslim groups for Canada to push for a ceasefire in the region, while major Canadian Jewish groups have demanded Trudeau retract an earlier comment as lending credence to the claim by Hamas that Israel was responsible for an attack on a hospital in Gaza city.
Additionally, the federal New Democrats, who entered into a confidence-and-supply agreement with the minority Liberal government last year, are also calling for a ceasefire.
The Toronto Sun cited a video post on X by a Global News reporter which showed some people gathered in the mosque were heard saying “shame” during Trudeau’s visit on Friday and urging a facilitator not to let the Canadian PM speak at the podium. The video shows Trudeau addressing the dozens gathered, thanking them for allowing him to “pray alongside you in this difficult time,” the daily reported.
The daily said that the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Trudeau attended the International Muslims Organization of Toronto on Friday “to show his support to those impacted in the Muslim community from the horrific events in the Middle East.”
“Everyone is hurt and hurting, everyone is grieving, everyone is scared of what this means,” Trudeau told reporters on Friday in Brampton, Ontario when asked if his caucus is at odds over how the Liberals should respond.
The Toronto Sun reported that the Toronto-area Liberal MP Salma Zahid, who is chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group have written a letter to the Canadian PM that laid out certain demands in consideration of 33 MPs.
The letter demands Canada to join the call for an immediate ceasefire, help facilitate the opening of a humanitarian corridor and stand up for international Law, which was signed by 23 backbench Liberal MPs, eight NDP MPs and both Green Party MPs.
“International law is clear that innocent civilians and all those not taking part in the fighting must on no account be attacked and must be spared and protected,” the letter said.
On Thursday, a dozen Muslim, Jewish, and Arab MPs from the Liberal caucus met to discuss the conflict.
Israel declared war against Hamas after the militant group killed 1,400 Israelis in a brazen attack on Oct. 7. Hamas, which Canada considers a terrorist organization, has control over the Gaza Strip, reported The Toronto Sun.
Tensions have risen across the Middle East as Israel has retaliated with airstrikes and cut off the Palestinian territory’s access to water, food, and electricity. The United Nations says this violates international humanitarian law.
