Israeli Comedian Guy Hochman Detained in Canada After Pro-Palestinian Complaint

Israeli comedian Guy Hochman was detained and interrogated for six hours upon landing in Toronto on Monday night, ahead of a scheduled performance for the city’s Jewish community. 

The detention followed a criminal complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a pro-Palestenian NGO that has filed legal complaints abroad against Israelis over the war in Gaza. The foundation accused Hochman of incitement and war propaganda, alleging that his public activity during the Israel–Gaza war promoted violence and glorified Israel’s military actions. 

In a statement on X, the organization said it had sought to prevent Hochman from entering Canada, declaring: “Genocidal rhetoric is not art, not free speech, and not protected under Canadian law. No safe haven for those who are complicit with Israel’s atrocities.”

After several hours of questioning at the airport, Hochman was released following intervention by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which confirmed that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Israel’s consul general in Toronto acted to expedite his entry, allowing him to proceed with his planned visit and performance.

Hochman went ahead with his show later that night at the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre. As the event took place inside, a group of anti-Israel demonstrators gathered outside the venue in below-zero temperatures, waving PLO flags and chanting slogans including “Long live the Intifada,” “1, 2, 3, 4, Zionism no more,” and “You will never be here, we are all with Palestine.”

According to Hochman, tensions escalated outside the venue when one of the protesters attempted to assault him. In a post on social media early Tuesday morning, he wrote: “While you were sleeping, a pro-Palestinian protest was waiting for me outside my show in Toronto. One of the crazies tried to attack me, Omer defended me and was injured. The attacker was arrested by local police. Omer is totally fine. We’re not giving up.” Hochman said Omer, a friend who was accompanying him, stepped in to protect him during the incident.

Ahead of the events in Toronto, Hochman had publicly addressed the allegations against him and the campaign to block his entry into Canada. In a separate statement, he wrote: “What’s absurd is that while thousands of protesters are being murdered in Iran, what bothers Canadians is a one-ball Israeli performing in Toronto. I don’t know if it’s hypocrisy or antisemitism. But it was there before October 7, and it’s still there after.”

In a later statement posted on social media shortly after the events, Hochman said he was continuing his work and appearances despite the pressure. “They tried to prevent me from entering Canada, but after six hours of detention, I got in. They tried to stop me from performing for the Israeli community, and I performed,” he wrote. He added that he was proud to represent “the optimistic Israeli spirit, Jewish courage, and the IDF soldiers fighting to defend only the citizens of the Jewish state,” concluding with the declaration: “Am Yisrael Chai.”