A meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to be canceled at an art museum in Ontario due to demonstrators supporting Palestine barging through the doors.
The Art Gallery of Ontario had to go into lockdown when roughly thirty protesters gathered around the building on Saturday night, as per The Telegraph.
Meloni and Trudeau Face Pro-Palestinian Protests
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Toronto, Canada, on March 2, 2024.
During their visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, both the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, had a number of interruptions throughout their time there. Protesters, who were yelling pro-Palestinian chants, filled the area, which prevented the leaders and other participants from accessing the gallery.
The gallery went into lockdown for a brief period of time. In order to get entry to the site, even the Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, had to take a different path that was guarded by the police.
This incident marked a tumultuous end to an otherwise cordial day of meetings between Trudeau and Meloni. Despite the disruptions, the two leaders announced the establishment of the Canada-Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation. In a joint statement, they outlined plans to deepen political, economic, and strategic ties over the next three to five years, focusing on energy security, sustainable energy, climate change, biodiversity, migration, economic growth, and research and innovation, including artificial intelligence.
The G-7 members, Canada and Italy, plan to review progress on the roadmap during a meeting in Italy this June. Before the disruptions, Trudeau commended Meloni's leadership as Italy presided over this year's G7 summit. He expressed anticipation in working with her as Canada prepares to host the G7 in 2025. Trudeau emphasized the alignment between Canada and Italy on various fronts, highlighting their deep and growing economic relationship, according to CTV News.
Meloni Outlines G7 Priorities
A public disagreement among the presidents occurred in the previous year when Trudeau attacked Italy's stance on LGBTQ2S+ issues when the G7 conference was taking place. The criticism was met with a statement from Meloni, who dismissed it as the result of false news.
Meloni presented her goals for the G7, which included artificial intelligence, the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, and the maintenance of the international rule-based system. This was done in spite of the conflicts that had occurred in the past. In addition, she stressed the need of aiding Ukraine and the necessity of navigating the complexity of the crisis in the Middle East without escalating the situation.
Protesters yelled accusations about Trudeau outside of the location where the reception that was supposed to take place was canceled. They accused Trudeau of providing financing for genocide and condemned the way the federal government handled the Gaza-Israel conflict. Attending people faced disputes, with protestors blocking their ways.
However, some of them were eventually brought to the entrance by the police. An additional degree of complication has been added to the diplomatic relationship between Canada and Italy as a result of this occurrence, which raises issues regarding the junction of political disagreements and significant events throughout the world, Ottawa Citizen reported.
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