WATCH | Trudeau escorted to safety after pro-Palestinian protesters surround restaurant where he dined

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was escorted to safety after hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war surrounded a Vancouver restaurant where he was dining on Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday (Nov 15).

But that is just a part of Trudeau’s problems as even members of his own political party are calling on him to resign as his party is trailing behind in opinion polls, with voters angry about housing and inflation.

Incident at Vancouver restaurant

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The Canadian PM had to be escorted to safety by nearly 100 police personnel after about 250 pro-Palestinian supporters waving flags and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza surrounded a restaurant in the city’s Chinatown district on Tuesday evening.

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Trudeau is under pressure from Palestinian supporters to push for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.

“Vancouver police deployed nearly 100 officers Tuesday night to disperse a protest outside a Chinatown restaurant where the Prime Minister was dining,” said the policein a statement.

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“Police assisted in controlling and dispersing the crowd, while the Prime Minister was escorted out of the restaurant,” it added. The policealso said that they arrested a 27-year-old man forobstruction and punching a female officer in the face.

Vancouver police Sergeant Steve Addison told a news conference that “the actions of the protesters, such as blocking the lane behind the restaurant caused a concern.”

This recent incident also came after Trudeau was heckled at another restaurant owned by celebrity chef Vikram Vij in a different part of the city where a video showed a handful of protesters entering the restaurant and shouting at the prime minister to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed his Canadian counterpart after the latter said the “killing of women, of children, of babies” in the besieged Gaza Strip must end.

Subsequently, Netanyahu, addressing Trudeau in a social media post, said “the forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism.”

Trudeau faces calls to resign

Trudeau’s problems are not limited to his diplomatic row with India and recently coming under fire for his remarks about Israel, as his popularity in the recent opinion polls among voters also took a hit, prompting members of his own party to call for his resignation.

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While the Canadian PM, thanks to a power-sharing agreement with a left-leaning opposition group, might be able to avoid elections until 2025, giving him some time to turn things around with the voters, the members of his Liberal Party are getting increasingly restless.

A report by Bloomberg citing recent polls said that the opposition Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre is ahead by 10 to 15 points and gaining ground nearly everywhere and if this continues it would produce a large majority government for the 44-year-old opposition leader, ending Trudeau’s eight-year reign.

This comes as Poilievre has channelled Canadians’ anger about the rising cost of living – dubbing it “Justinflation,” and that in eight years that the incumbent PM has been in power, “everything costs more.”

(With inputs from agencies)