A group of pro-Palestinian protesters was escorted out of the Eaton Centre after staging a brief sit-in at the busy mall Saturday evening.
A large protest had snaked its way through the streets around the downtown core throughout the afternoon, but had not entered the mall.
A handful of protesters did enter the mall in the evening though, sitting and chanting while a large number of officers were onhand to maintain crowd control.
Toronto Police said Friday that they would be making sure protesters did not trespass at the mall following a demonstration earlier this week which included a tense exchange of words.
That protest targeted Spanish fashion retailer Zara over an ad campaign which appeared to use imagery from the war. The fashion retailer had said that its ad campaign was planned before the war in the summer and had apologized for any confusion.
Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said Friday police would be enforcing the Trespass to Property Act while providing demonstrators “with a reasonable ability to leave when they are asked to do so.”
She said lawful demonstrations “do not include protesting inside privately owned spaces, which includes malls, blocking critical infrastructure such as highways or hospitals, or causing disturbances at the expense of other residents and visitors to our city” and noted that there have been hundreds of peaceful demonstrations in the city since Oct. 7.
Video Saturday evening showed officers walking with protesters as they left the mall.
Toronto Police said the group eventually left of their own accord and no arrests were reported.
