Police remove anti-Israel protesters from Toronto University building amid ‘from the river to the sea’ chants

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate at Toronto University, chanting antisemitic slogans as they call for the school to divest from the Jewish state over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

The demonstration is dispersed by police, according to reports on social media. Videos show protesters wearing face masks and Palestinian keffiyeh scarves being pushed out of a university administration building by police.

A video posted to X shows a speaker leading the crowd in chants of, “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever,” a version of the Palestinian nationalist chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

"From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever" ????????

Part of the student protest at the University of Toronto to support Gaza and call for a free Palestine.

Via: @SMohyeddin pic.twitter.com/yZm0MvJBao

— V PALESTINE ???????? (@V_Palestine20) September 7, 2024

The phrase has been used for decades by Palestinian movements including Hamas, and pro-Palestinian activists say it is a call for liberation. Israel and Jewish groups view it as advocating Israel’s destruction. It has been condemned in congressional votes and investigated in multiple instances by the US Department of Education.