Manal Kamran

On November 5, 2025, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) arrested six activists who participated in an anti-Israel rally sponsored by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The activists violently disrupted a pro-Israel event, causing injuries to attendees.

A video from the incident showed one of the guest speakers, an Israeli army veteran, holding a glass door closed [00:00:01] to prevent more protesters from entering the room. A protester smashed the door [00:00:04], which resulted in the speaker being cut by the broken glass. He also reported [00:06:54; 00:07:26] that the same protester attacked him with a drill bit.

A TPS statement said one of the activists allegedly "assaulted an officer while attempting to prevent an arrest," and all five were accused of forcible entry, damaging property and obstructing police officers.

The event, hosted by TMU's Students Supporting Israel (SSI) chapter (SSI TMU) chapter, was held at a private business in Toronto because the university refused to provide space for the event on campus.

SJP TMU posted a flyer on Instagram disclosing the event's location and calling for a protest. The flyer read: “IOF OFF OUR CAMPUSES...TMU HAS ONCE AGAIN ALLOWED A REGISTERED STUDENT GROUP TO INVITE ZIONIST MURDERERS TO OUR CITY..."

“IOF” stands for “Israeli Occupation Forces,” a derogatory name used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army in place of its official name, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

After the incident, SJP TMU posted on Instagram: “The student intifada will continue to resist, shut down zionism [sic], and make Palestine unavoidable.” The post included a statement that said: "WE WILL CONTINUE SHUTTING DOWN ANY ATTEMPT TO PLATFORM GENOCIDAL PROPAGANDA. UNTIL LIBERATION AND RETURN, LONG LIVE THE STUDENT INTIFADA.”

The term “intifada” translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection” and carries the connotation of terrorist violence, including suicide bombings, hijackings, shootings and stabbings.

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Student Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.