On Saturday in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., a 52-year-old resident who objected to Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)-linked protesters in his neighbourhood was tackled from behind by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers, punched repeatedly and left with broken glasses. The disturbing video suggests serious imbalances between the rights afforded to residents and those granted to protesters.
In a viral video posted to social media by X account Leviathan, André Therrien can be seen exchanging words with police officers and protesters, before turning around and walking away. The officers then decide to follow him. They tackle him from behind, knocking him to the ground, punch him several times in the liver and break his glasses before they cuff him.
We don’t know exactly what happened before the events depicted in the video. But according to both Therrien and the SQ, the same officers released him without charge moments later in front of his vehicle, where his two dogs were waiting. Therrien says that when he went to a police station to file a complaint about his treatment, an officer advised him to file it online instead, and warned that charges against him may still be pending — a statement the SQ has since confirmed.
In an interview, Therrien said he first learned of the rally on a Facebook page called Stop General Dynamics. Disturbed by what he views as PYM’s influence in his community, he decided to attend. Therrien’s house is a five-minute walk from Élisabeth Monette School, the site of the protest. “I don’t want these groups in my neighbourhood,” he said.
Therrien was filming the rally when, he alleges, one protester knocked his phone from his hand. He shared a 30-second video showing him walking toward the masked demonstrators, many in keffiyehs, as those in front held a banner reading “Genocide Dynamics.” In the clip, Therrien yells at the crowd in French until the recording abruptly stops.
At that point, he said that SQ officers intervened, telling him that they were there to protect him. Therrien claims he responded by saying, “OK, if you’re going to protect me, I’m going to stand in front of the manifestation (protest).”
The SQ said officers arrested Therrien for “assault and obstruction” due to his aggressive behaviour toward the protesters, but released him on scene. “Charges related to the arrest may be laid at a later date,” it noted.
The SQ declined to specify who Therrien allegedly assaulted and would not comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.
Asked how the SQ balances the rights of residents and protesters, the force said that maintaining “peace, order and public safety, while allowing free expression” is part of its mandate, and that officers only intervene “to protect life and property, as well as to ensure everyone’s peaceful and free exercise of their individual and collective rights.”
