- Demonstration in front of Israeli houses exhibition turned ugly after man with nail gun attacked protesters
- “All Palestinians will die,” he shouted as he marched toward the protest in Toronto on Sunday morning.
- Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, has been arrested and charged with assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and mischief.
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A small demonstration outside an Israeli housing exhibition descended into violence when a man armed with a nail gun charged at protesters.
Pro-Palestinians had gathered outside a Toronto synagogue where real estate group Home In Israel was showing properties at an invitation-only event.
Footage shows the moment Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, arrived in his car and left with the nail gun shouting “all Palestinians will die.”
He tried to knock down phone cameras, confronted an elderly woman and was charged with assault with a weapon after one of the protesters claimed he had fired the device at them.
“I thought it was a real gun and I thought my life was going to end at that moment,” said one of the protesters. CTV Newsshowing them holes in his jacket supposedly caused by nails.
Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, has been arrested and charged with assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and mischief.
Footage shows him cursing angrily as he approaches protesters with a nail gun.
At one point, he had an angry confrontation with an elderly woman before pushing her.
Police said the demonstration in the Thornhill district had been “peaceful” until Abramov arrived in his car.
“Officers identified several witnesses who stated that a man had stopped his vehicle near pro-Palestinian protesters and began yelling obscenities at them, while confronting three of the protesters,” a York Regional Police spokesperson said.
“At one point, one of the victims told police that the suspect fired a nail gun he was carrying.”
Protesters claimed the real estate group was selling homes on illegally occupied land in the West Bank and around 100 people had turned out to protest on Sunday morning.
A counter-demonstration had been organized at the site which also houses a synagogue, but police said the two sides had remained separate and people were free to enter and leave the synagogue.
“You have to calm down and take a step back,” one said to Abramov as he approached.
‘Do you have a fucking problem?’ he replied before pushing her away.
‘You just shot me and you shot another guy!’ One is heard shouting as the large man returns to his car.
Police said Abramov has been charged with assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and mischief.
“The investigation is ongoing, there is no risk to public safety at this time,” they added in a statement shared with X.