“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” — George Orwell, 1984.

Honourable senators, last Friday, in Montreal, we witnessed ugly and deeply disturbing scenes. The images and reports that emerged from a pro-Hamas riot were appalling. Almost as appalling now are Mayor Plante’s and the Montreal police chief’s attempts to whitewash these scenes and defend the disgusting acts of anti-Semitism and Jew hatred.

Protesters chanted for the destruction of Israel. They waved Hamas flags and even burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a grotesque display of hatred and incitement. These were not the actions of a select few; it was not a run-of-the-mill anti-NATO protest, and it was not an act of free speech but an endorsement of violence and terrorism, aimed at fuelling division and hatred.

Meanwhile, where was Prime Minister Trudeau?

His failure to speak out against this hate-filled rally until late the next day is a tacit endorsement of the kind of extremism that threatens the safety and unity of our communities. Moreover, his comment the previous day, suggesting that he would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, was dangerous and inflammatory. In doing so, he irresponsibly stoked tensions and, at minimum, gave cover to those who sought to undermine peace and promote violence Friday night.

Equally disturbing is the media’s response — or lack thereof. National outlets like CBC and CTV, which have been quick to cover every trivial detail, including Trudeau attending a Taylor Swift concert that same night in Toronto, chose to downplay or mischaracterize the pro-Hamas rally.

Instead of calling it what it was — a violent and hate-filled demonstration — they also misleadingly referred to it as an “anti‑NATO protest.” And they referred to the burning of the effigy of Netanyahu as a “mannequin,” intentionally diminishing the gravity of the act.

By failing to cover this event properly, the media are also complicit in minimizing the very real threat of extremism we are facing. It is shameful that a nation like Canada, known for its values of tolerance and peace, is now grappling with an erosion of these ideals under the watch of those in power.

Justin Trudeau, the mainstream media and those who refuse to call out hate for what it is are contributing to a dangerous environment, where violence is condoned and terrorism is somehow justified.

We must condemn the actions of those who participated in these protests and demand accountability from our leaders and the media.

This is not the time for silence or indifference; it is a time for courage and clarity, the kind of courage and clarity we saw from the parent company of Second Cup Canada when another ugly scene emerged from Friday’s riot — that of a woman telling Jews that the final solution is coming for them.

This woman was operating two coffee shops inside Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital — imagine. The good news is that her franchise licence was quickly suspended, and the company issued an unequivocal condemnation of her actions within hours.

But honourable colleagues, how sad is it that a coffee company, in a matter of a few hours, demonstrated more courage and leadership in times of upheaval in this country than our Prime Minister?

Enough is enough.