Woman hits TIFF pro-Palestine protester, while rally leader explains demonstration at film premie...

EW captures footage and photos at the protest, where an organizer explains why the group is demonstrating at TIFF's Lightbox theater tied to the premiere of 'Th

EW captures footage and photos at the protest, where an organizer explains why the group is demonstrating at TIFF's Lightbox theater tied to the premiere of 'The Voice of Hind Rajab.'

Woman hits TIFF pro-Palestine protester, while rally leader explains demonstration at film premiere (exclusive)

EW captures footage and photos at the protest, where an organizer explains why the group is demonstrating at TIFF's Lightbox theater tied to the premiere of 'The Voice of Hind Rajab.'

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September 8, 2025 8:05 a.m. ET

- EW speaks with organizer Ahmad Jarrar about rallying at TIFF to support *The Voice of Hind Rajab *film.

- "We have to hold our government accountable in the complicity of this genocide," Jarrar tells EW.

- Video EW captured on the ground also shows a woman hitting protesters with a stick.**

Amid camera flashes on the red carpet and fans lining up to see high-profile film premieres, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters held a demonstration outside one of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival's premier theaters in a rally one leader exclusively tells ** was partially aimed at holding "our [Canadian] government accountable."

On Sunday night, just outside the TIFF Lightbox theater on Toronto's King Street — where the festival's primary theatrical venues are located — Liberate 48 organizer Ahmad Jarrar rallies attendees on a megaphone as they raise Palestinian flags and chant alongside him.

Jarrar tells EW the gathering is tied to both the ongoing situation in the Middle East and that night's TIFF premiere of the Tunisian-made, Gaza-set film *The Voice of Hind Rajab*.

Liberate 48 protesters gather outside the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Lightbox theater.

Joey Nolfi for EW

"We are here demonstrating because of what's happening — specifically, today it's been 700 days of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It's 77 years of resistance, although the message has to stay clear as to why we're here raising the flag," Jarrar explains as the crowd begins to disperse around 9:30 p.m. local time, just as the film is set to start.**

He continues, telling EW why the group wanted to support *The Voice of Hind Rajab *and the issues the film (the true story of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl trapped in a car under Israeli fire) raises at the festival, which he calls "the most popular and most focused" media event in Canada.

"TIFF is a very big event. And this is why the focus here to be in Toronto is to raise this flag of justice, also it's not to hinder the operations of the Toronto International Film Festival, but rather in support of the Palestinian movie that's happening here," he explains.

'The Voice of Hind Rajab'.

Courtesy of TIFF

He adds, "When people come in to watch at the Lightbox, they can see the Palestinian flags and a sense of belonging and involvement. We're in a designated area where we're allowed to demonstrate, we didn't hinder the process or impede traffic, but we were able to get good traction and spread awareness. At the same time, everybody was here to enjoy the film."

Jarrar hopes that the demonstration raises awareness not only for the public, but among power-holding officials in the Canadian government.

"As Canadians, we have to hold our government accountable in the complicity of this genocide. Our main chance in ending the genocide is imposing an arms embargo on Israel, because Canada is complicit in this genocide, we're supporting them with finances and military aid," he alleges. "Our Canadian tax dollars help in that. As Canadians, it's our duty to hold our government accountable for where our tax dollars go. And that's why we're chanting. To end a genocide, impose and arms embargo. It's not a conflict of a religious differences, you've got to be human to see what's going on."

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While the protest was largely peaceful, EW captured footage of a woman approaching and hitting protesters with a stick-like object (watch in a video below). EW did not observe what happened in the moments leading up to the incident.

At the scene, a member of the Toronto Police who identified himself as Officer Kim repeatedly prevented EW from approaching the woman for comment. Kim tells EW that the woman told him she did not want to be interviewed, though, as EW informs the officer, we had not, up to that point, asked her for an interview.

"That doesn't matter," Kim replies.

After EW shows the officer video of the woman using the stick to make contact with protesters, he explains, "Having seen that [video] and having spoken with her, I do understand it to be an exchange — perhaps of them intimidating her with a video, which she did not like."

After acknowledging it is not a crime for demonstrators to record the woman in a public forum, he adds, "From what I see, there was no real intent to cause harm. It was more to kind of brush [the person recording] away, scooting.... I don't think, even from that, there's warrant or a report for an assault, because that's not going to go through court. That's from 26 years of experience."

A pro-Palestinian protester carries a flag outside the TIFF Lightbox theater.

Joey Nolfi for EW

EW has reached out to representatives for TIFF, the Toronto Police, and the office of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who spoke on opening night of the festival, for comment.

The TIFF pro-Palestinian protest is not the first of its kind to take place at major entertainment industry events. Protesters also disrupted the 2024 Indie Spirit Awards, with host Jim Gaffigan attempting to make his way through the presentation by speaking over the sound of protests happening outside the event's tent venue at the Santa Monica Pier in California.

Elsewhere, drag artists protested at the 2024 GLAAD Awards, where they interrupted comedian Ross Mathews' speech at the New York City gala. *Glamorous* actress Chiquitita initially began the demonstration outside the awards show (which *Grey's Anatomy* star Sara Ramirez also participated in), and later carried it inside, where the artist was captured on camera shouting, "GLAAD is complicit in genocide" when Mathews took the stage to begin hosting the ceremony.

Pro-Palestine protest at TIFF Lightbox.

Joey Nolfi for EW

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According to the Associated Press, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 64,000. Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip began after the Oct. 7, 2023, offensive, when "Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in their attack on southern Israel," per the outlet.

In August, TIFF pulled a documentary,* The Road Between Us*, about the Oct. 7 attacks from its lineup, citing a footage rights issue. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey later addressed the incident by extending apologies "for any pain this situation may have caused" in a press statement posted on Aug. 13. He stressed that "claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false," and that he believes the film "tells an important story" about the events.

The following day, the film was added back to the festival's 2025 lineup, and is slated to have its premiere on Wednesday.

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Source: "EW Movies"

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