Canadians oppose politically motivated violence and vandalism: poll

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An overwhelming majority of Canadians oppose politically motivated violence and vandalism — and most think protesters should not be allowed to wear a mask in public or express overtly racist views, a new poll finds.

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Nearly three-quarters of Canadians (74 per cent) believe destruction is never acceptable during protests, according to a new survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS).

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The findings offer a strong rebuke to the riots in Montreal last Friday when anti-Israel and anti-NATO activists, many of them masked, smashed windows, burned cars and clashed with police. The demonstrations drew condemnations from leaders across the political spectrum in Canada.

Only 23 per cent of respondents say it’s acceptable to wear a mask while protesting, a commonplace practice for anti-Israel activists who have regularly held disruptive protests in Montreal, Toronto and elsewhere across the country since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. And only 29 per cent believe free speech should be protected when the views are “overtly racist.”

“Mask-wearing protest may serve to shield persons engaging in hate expression as seen in the recent case of Montrealer Mai Abdelhadi, who engaged in hate speech in front of the main campus of Concordia University,” ACS President Jack Jedwab told National Post by email.

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Abdelhadi was a franchisee of Second Cup cafés inside Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital. She allegedly gave pro-Israel demonstrators a Nazi salute and chanted, “The Final Solution is coming.” In videos shared on social media, a woman was filmed wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, black sunglasses and a medical mask initially obscuring her identity. The café chain shut down the Jewish General location the following day.

“The survey indicates that Canadians do not regard hate expression as protected free speech. In that regard, it is important to determine whether Ms. Abdelhadi’s vile utterances violate our country’s anti-hate laws and, if so, whether legislators should proceed accordingly,” said Jedwab.

The poll found a notable age gap in views.

Support for protest violence was highest among the youngest Canadians, with a third of those between 18 and 24 and nearly a quarter of 25 to 34 year olds (24 per cent) saying such actions are justified in the name of achieving political outcomes.

Similar rates of agreement with vandalism were observed amongst students when pollsters segmented the results based on a person’s employment status. Over a quarter of students (26.4 per cent) said that destroying public property in order “to send a political message is acceptable,” the highest of any category polled, followed by part-time workers (19.3 per cent). Those mostly strongly opposed to such demonstrations were the retired (87.1 per cent) and self-employed people (75.6 per cent).

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Montrealers, notably, feel especially strongly about politically motivated violence, with 81 per cent against it in any circumstance, compared with 65 per cent of Vancouverites surveyed.

A noticeable age gap also appeared when respondents were asked whether public protesters should be able to remain masked and unidentifiable. While almost half (49 per cent) of 18 to 24 year olds and over a third (39 per cent) of 25 to 34 year olds supported the right of demonstrators to remain anonymous, 80 per cent of those 65 and older and 68 per cent of 55 to 64 year olds opposed the idea.

“The poll serves as an important reminder that Canadians regard acts of vandalism as indefensible and that they cannot be justified as political gestures,” Jedwab said. “Canadians also desire greater accountability on the part of persons engaging in protest that condones vandalism and/or hate speech.”

Generational differences persisted when respondents were asked if Holocaust denial amounted to hate speech, though minimal regional variations appeared with the question. Nearly six in 10 Canadians (58 per cent) opposed labelling Holocaust denial as hate speech, while just 17 per cent agreed with the proposition. Older Canadians appear more opposed to criminalizing Holocaust denial, with nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) saying the two are not connected. Young citizens, such as those between 25 and 34, are more likely to consider Holocaust denial hate speech (24 per cent).

The online survey of 1,539 respondents was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between Nov. 22 and 24.  A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,539 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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