Montreal police say they are increasing their presence across the city ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Deputy Chief Vincent Richer told reporters that police have been in contact with the city’s Jewish and Arab-Muslim communities and will focus much of their attention on places of worship over the next few days.
Numerous protests or vigils are planned for this weekend, including in front of McGill University, the site where students set up an encampment for several months demanding the school cut ties with Israel.
McGill has announced it will be restricting access to its campuses from Oct. 5 to 7 and has moved some of its classes online in anticipation of potential tensions that may boil over.
More than 340 protests related to the war in the Gaza Strip have taken place in Montreal over the past year, with police making …