Toronto pro-Palestinian protesters march near Jewish care facility after kosher bakery shooting

A larger-than-usual pro-Palestinian protest in Toronto on Sunday, July 26, 2026, near a Jewish senior care facility followed a shooting at a kosher bakery hours earlier. Police intervened as marchers chanted anti-IDF slogans, and residents expressed concern over targeting vulnerable community members.

A larger-than-usual crowd of pro-Palestinian activists gathered for the weekly demonstration on Sunday at the Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West intersection in Toronto, resulting in heated verbal clashes, traffic disruptions, and heavy police intervention. The demonstration unfolded after gunfire struck just hours earlier at a Jewish-owned bakery chain situated approximately 3.5 kilometers from the protest site. Both the bakery and the protest site sit within a corridor heavily populated by Jewish residents, synagogues, and local businesses. During the demonstrations, pro-Palestinian activists participated in an impromptu march along Sheppard Avenue West that was halted by police managing the crowds outside local commercial office spaces and Baycrest, a Jewish senior care facility. Independent documentarians and commentators filming the scene captured local residents and passing bystanders expressing deep concern on camera, arguing that staging intense protests directly outside a senior care facility and healthcare infrastructure in a heavily Jewish neighborhood targeted vulnerable community members rather than serving a legitimate political destination. Social media footage captured a participant wearing a t-shirt bearing text that read 'FCK IDF' and 'DEATH DEATH TO THE IDF!' worn by another. An activist named Daniela Bonamico led the chant 'from the sea to the river Palestine will live forever' across police barriers. The elevated turnout on July 26 appeared to be a reaction to the July 21 arrest of Liberate Palestine 48 (LP48) organizer Ahmad Hajahmad (also known as Ahmad Jarrar), a regular fixture at the intersection who faces a terrorism charge alleging participation in or contribution to Hamas activities.