Premier Doug Ford is being sued by the Al Quds Committee for what they claim are defamatory statements he made in the lead-up to this year’s event last month.
The day before the March 14 event, the premier took to social media to say he had instructed the attorney general to file an injunction preventing the annual march from taking place, calling it “a breeding ground for hate and antisemitism.”
“Hate, violence and intimidation have no place on the streets of Canada, and our government will fight it however we can,” said Ford, who campaigned in 2018 to ban the event.
Less than an hour before the rally, a court dismissed the government’s request for an injunction. The judge in the case cited no evidence that participants at last year’s rally incited hatred or engaged in hate speech. During the hearing, lawyers for the province acknowledged there was no evidence the rallies had ever resulted in criminal charges against demonstrators.
Event organizers also called out Ford’s comments following the court decision, in which the premier doubled down on his comments that the rally is “a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism.”
Committee member Ali Mallah tells OMNI News the lawsuit is about holding Ford accountable for his “hurtful words,” adding it is not about money.
“This is his style, to start with, and way before he entered the government of Ontario, when he was a city councillor. This is his style, he tries to bulldoze his way around, he tries to bully everybody, and then, when he is cornered, literally cornered, he will apologize,” Mallah says, referencing a recent encounter with Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth.
“This is the nature of the bully. And when you are dealing with a bully, you have to stand up to him or her, otherwise they will continue their bullying and try to smokescreen the truth.”
The premier’s office issued a statement, saying it stands by his previous remarks about the event, adding, “We will not remove the social posts referenced nor retract comments.”
Al-Quds Day is an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan, established in 1979 by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The day is intended to express solidarity with Palestinians and opposition to Israel’s control of Jerusalem.
In Toronto, the event has been held for more than a decade and often draws a mix of community groups, activists, and counter‑protesters. Organizers promoted this year’s event with a call for “no war on Iran and Lebanon”.