When Protest Becomes Performance — and Performance Becomes a Threat

Canada protects freedom of expression.

Section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees:

"Everyone has the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication."

But freedom of expression doesn't mean freedom from responsibility.

It doesn't mean the right to organize mob-style gatherings, threaten others, and block cameras—then claim protection under the same laws you're abusing.

There's a growing disconnect here, which is becoming harder to ignore.

Across Toronto and other cities, we're seeing a shift:

From protest… to performance.

From expression… to intimidation.

Toronto: A City on Edge, But Not the Source

We're not new to protest. That's part of a functioning society. But this feels different.

Since late 2023, in response to international conflict, Toronto has become a stage for imported outrage—often aimed at local Jewish communities, businesses, and cultural spaces that have nothing to do with foreign governments or military decisions.

What does a bakery in midtown have to do with geopolitics?

Why are synagogues, churches, and community centres surrounded in a country that prides itself on multicultural coexistence?

Some recent examples:

• Religious intimidation: Weekly gatherings outside synagogues and Jewish centres in North York, often accompanied by shouting, flag-waving, and blocked access to the buildings.

• Small business harassment: Shops in Kensington Market, Queen West, and Midtown were targeted for displaying certain flags or carrying Israeli products despite having no political affiliations.

• Masked mobs demanding media silence, then accusing journalists of bias.

• Pro-terrorist iconography is seen in marches, where photos of armed militants are carried openly.

No arrests. No crackdowns. No frozen bank accounts. Just silence and excuses.

Meanwhile, remember the 2022 trucker convoy?

People had their finances cut off for honking.

Now, people chant about wiping out countries and somehow getting a police escort.

This Isn't Just Toronto—It's a Pattern

This isn't random. And it isn't local.

The same disturbing shift is happening across G7 and NATO nations—those most associated with Western democratic values. Places where freedoms are strongest are now the ones being tested hardest.

• France: Violent clashes around synagogues and Jewish schools.

• UK: Protests spilling into riots. Threats of jihad openly shouted in London's core.

• Germany: Security forced to remove foreign flag-wavers from Holocaust memorials.

• USA (LA & NYC): Protestors waving the flags of nations they supposedly fled, blocking traffic, rioting, and, in some cases, assaulting counter-protesters.

• Australia: Organized protestors in full face coverings disrupting Anzac Day remembrances, chanting slogans imported from Middle East warzones.

There's a through-line here:

Organized, hostile demonstrations mostly appeared in the freest countries.

Primarily led by individuals of fighting age.

Masking themselves in identity while targeting anyone who dares to live outside their narrative.

This Isn't Protest. It's Social Engineering in "fo-tests".

What we're watching isn't spontaneous outrage. It's a system of pressure, posturing, and groupthink designed to blur the lines between free speech and fear.

Some may show up with genuine concern.

But when that concern turns into chasing people through the streets for wearing the wrong symbol, it's no longer a protest—it's hate.

And hate doesn't get a pass just because it comes wrapped in a flag or a slogan.

Our laws already draw this line—speech that incites violence or targets a group based on religion, race, or identity isn't protected.

And yet, somehow, enforcement only applies selectively.

When the targets are politically inconvenient, we pretend it's nuance.

When it's a smaller or less vocal community, we look away.

Where Do We Draw the Line?

It's not about which side of a foreign conflict you align with.

It's about keeping Canada from becoming a stage for other people's wars.

Toronto is a microcosm of what's happening across the West:

Imported rage. Local fallout. And citizens are stuck in the middle.

We can—and must—protect our right to speak.

But not at the expense of neighbours just trying to live peacefully.

Not at the expense of facts.

And not by pretending this is normal.

Because this isn't freedom anymore.

It's something else entirely.