Pro-Palestine protesters twice interrupted the ceremony for a prestigious Canadian literary award held on Monday night.
The event for the C$100,000 Scotiabank Giller prize was first disrupted when protesters jumped onstage with signs that read “Scotiabank funds genocide”. Event host Rick Mercer attempted to rip one of the signs from a protester’s hands.
Video footage shows another protester standing in the audience area shouting that Scotiabank “currently has a $500m stake in Elbit Systems” and that “Elbit Systems is supplying the Israeli military’s genocide against the Palestinian people”.
Elbit Systems is an Israel-based arms manufacturer that has long been criticised by activists for supplying the Israeli military. In April, American investigative news outlet the Intercept reported that Scotiabank’s stake in the company was estimated to be $500m, making it the largest foreign shareholder.
“We will not be silent any more,” a protester added. The group was quickly escorted out by police and later arrested, Giller spokesperson Robyn Mogil said, according to the Globe and Mail.
The event was also interrupted as the winner’s announcement was being made. Canadian author Sarah Bernstein won the prize for her novel Study for Obedience, which is also shortlisted for this year’s Booker prize. As her name was called, a protester posing as a photographer began shouting, so the organisers repeated the announcement.
The event comes just over a month after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war after the 7 October Hamas attack which killed 1,200 Israelis. Since then, more than 11,200 Palestinians have been killed, and in the past 10 days, 200,000 people have fled northern Gaza.
Montreal-born Bernstein accepted the prize remotely from her home in the Scottish Highlands, where she had recently had a baby. In her acceptance speech, Bernstein did not refer to the protests; her representative said that the one-way video link meant she was unaware of what had happened.
Guests in attendance at the event included Margaret Atwood, who had previously won the prize. Other past winners include Michael Ondaatje, Alice Munro and Esi Edugyan, the chair of the 2023 Booker prize judging panel.
Earlier this month, Canadian poet Rupi Kaur declined an invitation to celebrate Diwali at the White House in protest at the US government’s support of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. In October, several countries and publishing associations pulled out of the Frankfurt book fair after an awards ceremony celebrating Palestinian author Adania Shibli that was due to be held at the fair was called off.
Scotiabank, the Giller prize and Elbit Systems did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.
• This article was amended on 15 November 2023 to clarify that Sarah Bernstein was unaware of the protests during the ceremony.
