Olivia Chow's skating party cut short by protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire

"I'm so excited for all of you to be here and for me to host the first annual … well, my first skating party," Chow said before a demonstrator began shouting, "Ceasefire now!"

Chow attempted to continue, telling the crowd about her memories of skating at Nathan Phillips Square after first moving to Canada and the special meaning the place held for her. But more protesters joined the chant, drowning out the mayor, while security officers held them back as they tried to move closer.

"I do agree," Chow said, addressing the protesters. "You've seen my message about a ceasefire, right?"

In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) in November, Chow had called for the "immediate and unconditional return of all hostages and a ceasefire" in Gaza.

There have been pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations throughout the city since war broke out Israel and Hamas militants in October. On Saturday, a group returned to a bridge at Avenue Road and Hwy. 401 to stage another demonstration. 

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As of Sunday, at least 22,800 Palestinians had been killed and more than 58,000 wounded since Israel began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. The ministry has said two-thirds of those killed were women and children. 

The war was triggered by a major Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which militants killed about 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took some 240 people hostage.

As more protesters joined in the chant on Sunday, Chow, who at first was facing the rink, was moved closer to the edge of the ice, before staff advised her to abandon her speech and start skating. Flanked by Emma Keenan and Jessica Kondas of the Professional Women's Hockey League's Toronto team, Chow glided away from the protesters amid a flurry of other skaters eager to use the newly resurfaced rink. 

Chow then circled back to quickly finish her story in front of a small group of reporters.

"Nathan Phillips Square is very special for me because it's where I learned to skate," she said. "When I was a teenager, I didn't have any money. Coming down here made my feel like I belonged to the city. And so it's just amazing to be able to come back here as the mayor."

Before long, Chow was once again whisked away as protesters began taking to the ice. Dozens of them soon occupied the centre of the rink, and Chow's skating party was over as she was escorted back into city hall. The event lasted about half an hour. 

After Chow left, other skaters, including the demonstrators, were asked to leave the ice so it could be resurfaced, but the protesters refused.

The mayor's office confirmed the cancellation of the meet-and-greet but declined to comment further. 

With files from Ben Cohen, Joshua Chong and The Associated Press