Toronto Al-Quds Day organizers send Ford cease-and-desist letter over social media posts

FILE - Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, for a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

A lawyer representing the organizers of the Al-Quds Day rally in Toronto has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Premier Doug Ford over his social media posts about the demonstration last week.

In the Wednesday letter, Stephen Ellis, on behalf of the Al Quds Committee, asked Ford to take down all the posts and publicly apologize within the next seven days.

A day before the Saturday demonstration, Premier Ford posted on social media denouncing the event, calling it, among other things, a “hateful demonstration” and a “breeding ground for hate and antisemitism.”

Ford also said the rally “glorifies violence” and “celebrates terrorism.”

In another social media post after a judge denied the government’s injunction to stop the event, the premier expressed his disappointment, echoing similar sentiments that the demonstration “has been a venue of antisemitism, hatred, intimidation and the glorification of terrorism.”

In his letter, Ellis noted that the Ontario Superior Court justice who rejected the government’s request for an injunction noted in his decision that “there is no evidence in the record that there were criminal charges arising out of last year’s Al Quds rally in Toronto, or at the rallies in any of the prior 30 years.” He said that the judge also noted that “there is no evidence that participants at last year’s rally incited hatred or engaged in hate speech.”

Ellis said that if the premier does not meet their requests, he will escalate matters further, “which may include, without limitation, issuing a statement of claim against you personally.”

Ellis claimed in his letter that Ford’s posts, which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, were reckless and malicious.

He added that the premier implied that the Al Quds Committee is “racist in its outlook, particularly towards Jewish people” and is “a clear and present danger to the Jewish and/or Canadian public.”

“Please note that these published statements have done and continue to do serious harm to the Al Quds Committee’s reputation,” Ellis wrote.

Posts will not be deleted: Ford’s office

A statement from the office of the premier said Ford stands by his comments about the rally and that his social media posts will not be deleted.

“The premier stands by calling out the Al Quds Day rally, an event that has long been a venue for antisemitism, hatred, intimidation, and the glorification of terrorism. No one in Canada has the right to incite violence or free license to spread intimidation and hate,” the premier’s office said.

“We will continue to work to put an end to the hatred and division that runs rampant on Canada’s streets and will not remove the social posts referenced nor retract comments.”

Saturday’s rally began outside the U.S. consulate before thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Toronto.

Toronto police arrested two counter-protesters and charged them with assault.