Via Rail passenger trains and Canadian National freight trains were delayed for several hours Saturday morning after about 30 pro-Palestinian protesters blocked a CN track in St. Bruno, Que., south of Montreal.
The CN rail line connects Montreal to Halifax, where protesters claim goods are being shipped to Israel.
Local Longueuil police said they received a 911 call around 10:05 a.m. They asked protesters blocking the tracks at the intersection of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Seigneurial boulevards to move. According to police spokesperson Melanie Mercille, after demonstrators refused to move, the police emergency intervention unit broke down the barricade an hour and a half later.
Police say four officers were pepper-sprayed and four people, both men and women in their 20s and 30s, face charges ranging from obstruction to assault.
Mercille added that other protesters fled and police patrolled the area to ensure no other laws were broken.
CN workers check their equipment in St. Bruno, Que., Saturday, June 29, 2024. A police spokesman said a group of about 30 pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the railway line, leading to two arrests for mischief and obstruction.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
In a press release, a group called the Ad-hoc BDS Direct Action Collective blamed CN Rail for helping transport goods to Israel, which they accuse of genocide in the conflict with Hamas. According to the press release, the blockade was intended to “temporarily disrupt trade by cutting off a vital artery and drawing attention to Canada’s material support, and to encourage further boycott, divestment and direct action through sanctions.”
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The United Nations’ highest court has concluded that there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza – a charge Israel strongly denies and told the court it did everything it could to protect the civilian population during its military operation in Gaza. Israel claims the Gaza operation is aimed at destroying Hamas and bringing home the remaining hostages after the October 7 attacks.
This is the latest in a number of actions across the country calling for divestments and sanctions against Israel. A week ago, an encampment was set up in Victoria Square in Old Montreal, along with the multiple encampments on college campuses across North America, including one at McGill University that still exists.
In most cases the police did not intervene.
Some bystanders in St. Bruno on Saturday questioned the tactics used by some protesters.
“I think if we talk about protests in the city, which are usually organized, that would be different from blocking critical infrastructure such as the railway line, which is used by passenger and commercial trains,” Maxime Beaudoin told Global News.
According to him, blocking the tracks is potentially dangerous and could distract from the activists’ message.
Protesters at encampments have pointed out to Global News that disruptive actions are effective in gaining public attention.
Regarding Saturday’s blockade, CN said only that it was aware and monitoring the situation, and referred questions to police.
In an email to Global, Via Rail wrote that the protest “caused a backlog of train traffic that led to delays, including for VIA Rail trains 35 and 24 towards Québec City.” According to VIA, one train arrived in Montreal at 2:08 p.m., almost three hours late.
Police and CN crews cleared the tracks just before 2 p.m
– with files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Alessia Maratta, Global News
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