Charges against four Giller Prize protesters dropped; one remains

By Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press on December 6, 2024.

TORONTO – Pro-Palestinian organizers say charges against four of the five activists arrested for protesting last year’s Giller Prize have been withdrawn.

The group CanLit Responds announced the move at a press conference across the street from a Scotiabank branch on Friday morning.

The protesters interrupted the literary award in November 2023 carrying signs that read “Scotiabank Funds Genocide,” referring to the then-title sponsor’s investment in the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.

Three people were arrested the night of the ceremony and charged with criminal mischief and using a forged document to gain entry to the ceremony, while CanLit Responds says two others were arrested later.

Maysam Abu Khreibeh, 26, who was arrested that night, says the move to withdraw the charges was delayed for months.

Her lawyer, Riaz Sayani, says in a statement that the protesters never should have been charged.

Toronto Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CanLit Responds says charges against the fifth protester are still pending, and that they were arrested in September 2024, nearly a year after the ceremony.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.

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