Trudeau Cuts Appearance Short in Belleville, Ont., Amid Protest

Trudeau Cuts Appearance Short in Belleville, Ont., Amid Protest
Protesters shout at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Belleville, Ontario, on July 20, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg)
Isaac Teo
7/21/2023
Updated:
7/21/2023
0:00

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to cut short his appearance at an event in Belleville, Ont., after nearly 100 protesters surrounded him and his motorcade.

Mr. Trudeau was in the city on July 20 to mark the seventh anniversary of the Liberal government’s Child Care Benefit. He had planned to meet with the city’s mayor Neil Ellis and visit a local farmers’ market.

Protesters, however, showed up at the market outside city hall and started shouting expletives at him and his government.

The prime minister was set to meet with about 10 vendors, but he couldn’t make his way to the other side of the public square after being surrounded by protestors. The crowd could be heard repeatedly chanting, “Traitor, traitor, traitor.”

Security was forced to escort Mr. Trudeau to his vehicle while the chanting continued. At one point, the prime minister’s security detail pushed away two women who approached his motorcade as he stood on an SUV’s side step waving and smiling at the crowd.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.