Police increase presence around hospital

Debate rages over incident during rally outside Mount Sinai

- BEN COHEN

"Palestinian Spider-Man," or spiderman4palestine on social media, has become a "fixture" at pro-Palestinian protests in Toronto for climbing up various structures. On Monday, he was widely condemned for climbing up historically Jewish hospital Mount Sinai.

Toronto police said Wednesday they have increased patrols of the area around Mount Sinai Hospital, after a man climbed up scaffolding at the hospital waving a Palestinian flag during a rally on Monday.

Leaders of the Toronto's largest hospitals say the protest ran the real risk of disrupting hospital operations and making staff and patients unsafe. In a letter published Tuesday night, hospital leaders wrote they are "continuing to work alongside local law enforcement as well as our local security teams" to ensure their buildings are safe.

Protesters, meanwhile, say their intentions have been misconstrued and are demanding comments accusing them of antisemitism be retracted.