Pro-Palestine protesters interrupt Rick Mercer, accuse Scotiabank of "funding genocide" at gala
Pro-Palestine protesters interrupted host Rick Mercer at the Scotiabank Giller Prize gala, accusing Scotiabank of “funding genocide.”
The Palestinian Youth Movement shared footage of the protest on X.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize gala, which recognizes excellence in Canadian fiction, took place in Toronto on Monday night.
In the video, two protesters are standing on either side of Mercer while holding up signs that say “Scotiabank funds genocide.”
The comedian and political satirist tries to grab the signs out of their hands saying “Okay, okay, time to go.”
Another protester in the audience walks around the seated attendees saying that the multinational banking and financial services company currently has a $500 million stake in Elbit Systems, which is an Israeli defence contractor.
“Elbit Systems is supplying the Israeli military’s genocide against the Palestinian people,” the protester shouts as people “boo” them and they’re escorted out of the room.
BREAKING: Protestors disrupt @scotiabank’s Giller Prize Ceremony this evening. Scotiabank is funding the genocide of the Palestinian people through its $500 million stake in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. pic.twitter.com/agWTD0kfOx
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) November 14, 2023
Last year, Scotiabank faced backlash from activists and advocacy groups for being the largest foreign shareholder in the Israeli defence firm, reported BNN Bloomberg.
This comes amid heightened tensions, over a month after Netanyahu declared the country at war after the Gaza Strip’s governing militant group, Hamas, fired thousands of rockets, and fighters infiltrated the border in several locations.
The attack killed 1,400 people, mostly Israeli civilians.
Over 200 Israelis were also believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas, which is classified as a “radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization” by the Canadian government. Hamas has since released two American-Israeli hostages.
UN experts have described the Israeli government’s bombardment as a “mass ethnic cleansing.”
As of November 13, over 11,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
Daily Hive has reached out to Scotiabank for comment.
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