Vancouver police say an officer was injured after scuffles with protesters outside a restaurant in the city’s Chinatown where the prime minister was dining on Tuesday night.
Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement that 100 officers were deployed around 10 p.m. PT “after protesters surrounded a restaurant.”
He said Justin Trudeau was inside the restaurant at the time and officers helped control the crowd so the prime minister could be escorted out.
Addison said police estimated 250 protesters were at the restaurant, which he did not name. He said the establishment was on Main Street, near Keefer Street.
Vancouver police are holding a news conference about the incident at 11:30 a.m. PT, which CBC News will livestream.
Videos posted online appear to show Trudeau leaving a different restaurant on Tuesday after protesters entered the premises and called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
2 men arrested
In the Chinatown protest, Addison said one officer was injured and taken to hospital for treatment after being punched in the face and having her eyes gouged.
Police said they arrested a 27-year-old man from Coquitlam, B.C., in relation to the assault. Officers also arrested a 34-year-old Vancouver man for obstructing police. He was later released from custody.
Addison did not say what the protest in Chinatown was about. Police were recommending charges against the 27-year-old to the B.C. Prosecution Service, he said.
“When protests occur, our primary role is to maintain order, to facilitate a peaceful environment for people to express themselves, and to respond to unlawful behaviour if it occurs,” he said.
Other confrontation
VPD acknowledged posts that appeared online from around 9 p.m. that appear to show the prime minister dining at Vij’s, a well known Indian restaurant on Cambie Street, before protesters approach him and call for him to demand a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Addison said that incident preceded the protest in Chinatown and did not require a significant police response.
The videos appear to show Trudeau leaving the restaurant surrounded by his security detail while speaking to other diners and restaurant owner Vikram Vij, who is also a TV personality.
A statement from the prime minister’s officer confirmed Trudeau was approached by demonstrators in Vancouver, but did not provide further details.
“In regards to any specific interactions, our office does not comment on the prime minister’s security detail or process,” it said.
