The first night of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was interrupted Thursday when anti-Israel protesters briefly tried to interrupt screening of the opening offering.
Their chants targeted Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) which is the official bank partner of the annual celebration of film.
The Hollywood Reporter notes the protest came before a screening of David Gordon Green‘s opening movie Nutcrackers, starring Ben Stiller, held at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre ahead of a nearby opening screening attended by the star.
The outlet set out what happened next, noting four protesters chanted “From Turtle Island to Palestine, RBC funds genocide” and raised banners declaring “RBC is killing our future” and urging: “TIFF, cut ties with RBC.”
After about four minutes, and amid a chorus of boos from the audience, the demonstrators were led out of the theatre by security.
A group called RBC Off Screen said in an emailed statement seen by the Canadian Press that the protest was “an act of solidarity with those fighting to address the climate emergency, as well as end the war in Gaza, and support Indigenous sovereignty.”
The statement said the disruption was part of ongoing calls from some film workers and environmental groups for TIFF to sever ties with RBC. The group is critical of the bank’s connection to the fossil fuel industry, as well as its investments in weapons manufacturers implicated in the Israel-Hamas war.
RBC called the protest “unfortunate” and said such demonstrations shift attention from artists and are “weakening support” for the arts.
“We respect the right of individuals to make their voices heard, but it’s unfortunate to see activist groups attempting to co-opt this important cultural event,” the bank said in a statement to the Canadian Press late Thursday, adding it felt deeply for those affected by the “humanitarian crisis in Israel and Gaza.”
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