The Crown has dropped criminal charges against 14 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested during a 2024 sit-in at a Scotiabank branch in downtown Montreal, concluding a legal proceeding that brought attention to issues surrounding the right to protest. The decision, announced Monday at Montreal municipal court, followed an agreement by the defendants to plead guilty to violating a municipal noise bylaw and pay $300 fines. The original criminal mischief charges were withdrawn.
The protesters were part of a group of 44 individuals detained during the April 2024 demonstration, which called on Scotiabank to divest from Elbit Systems, an Israeli weapons manufacturer. The sit-in was staged amid escalating conflict in Gaza, with demonstrators seeking to pressure the bank to sever financial ties with the company.
At a news conference, protester Elta Tareq emphasized concerns about the implications for future activism. “If a citizen gets treated this way, what will happen when people do anything that’s deemed more violent?” she said, highlighting fears that criminalizing peaceful protests could undermine democratic expression.
Defense lawyer Barbara Bedont noted that most of the other protesters had settled their cases through community service and described the remaining defendants as having a strong constitutional defense. Bedont cautioned against the criminalization of peaceful demonstrations, arguing it posed a threat to freedom of expression and the right to protest.
The legal resolution came several months after Scotiabank’s investment management subsidiary disclosed it had sold its remaining shares in Elbit Systems, a development protesters hailed as a victory. Harar Hall, one of the demonstrators, described the outcome as a successful effort to push a Canadian financial institution to stop profiting from what the group called genocide.
However, some protesters expressed dissatisfaction with the legal outcome, saying it fell short of ensuring accountability from law enforcement and the justice system. Protester Mara Farrokh said the group had initially challenged their arrests under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, accusing police of violating their constitutional rights.
Farrokh also alleged unfair treatment by the presiding judge during the proceedings. She referred to security camera footage shown in court, which she said depicted officers in riot gear stepping on a protester as the group was contained. According to Farrokh, the judge viewed the footage but declined to acknowledge it as evidence of excessive police force.
Ultimately, the protesters accepted the fines in order to bring the case to a close, with Farrokh stating, “We knew that getting justice out of this court system wouldn’t be possible.” The case underscores ongoing tensions between law enforcement practices and protesters asserting their constitutional rights in Canada.