By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The United Against Hate organization is calling on Montreal mayoral candidates and demerged island municipalities to commit to passing “bubble legislation,” to create a safe zone around local institutions.

For many months, lawyer Neil Oberman has been successfully obtaining injunctions to protect Jewish institutions, by keeping anti-Israel protesters a far distance away from the buildings involved.

Inspired by and built on Oberman’s injunctions, Côte St. Luc and Hampstead councils passed bylaws in April 2024 designating where protests can take place — Hampstead’s says 100 metres from institutions, CSL’s says 50 metres.

In Westmount, as reported by The Suburban, Mayor Christina Smith late last year asked Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel to intervene to quash anti-Israel protests that have occurred weekly “blocking residential streets, causing noise, letting off smoke bombs and not allowing entry nor exit for residents in their own homes.”

United Against Hate Director General Marvin Rotrand told The Suburban that his organization’s call for a bubble law “was one of our 18 recommendations to the Quebec regional meeting of the National Forum to Combat Antisemitism.”

The United Against Hate recommendations related to bubble legislation were that “mayoralty candidates be asked to commit to the adoption by the City of Montreal of such a bylaw to protect vulnerable institutions and faith-based schools.

“We also urge [demerged] municipalities within the agglomeration to adopt similar bylaws for their territory.”

Rotrand added that last week, “our board approved a national campaign to urge municipalities to adopt such bylaws. We will be providing information on the Vaughan and Brampton bylaw as as well as the Toronto motion which should lead to a motion by May.”

A letter from Rotrand to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek points out that “protesters chanting hateful slogans have on numerous occasions [across Canada] blocked access and egress to such institutions with the aim of disrupting worship, social activities and teaching.

“Most frequently targeted have been synagogues and Jewish private schools, but there have also been many cases of protesters at Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples. There have been some arrests, but police response has been tentative, despite many cases of overt hate that likely contravened the Criminal Code. The rules governing protests are, for many police departments, simply not clear enough.” n