Justin Trudeau Swarmed by Angry Protesters Demanding He Resign, Videos Show

Videos shared to Twitter on Wednesday show an angry crowd calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign.

The videos were reportedly recorded in Hamilton—a city in Ontario where Trudeau and his Cabinet are currently participating in a three-day retreat—and show protesters carrying flags and shouting "Resign!"

Footage posted by Canadian newspaper columnist Joe Warmington shows Trudeau walking down the street with police as protesters follow and shout at the prime minister.

Some of those in the crowd carried signs that said "F*** Trudeau" and at least one person was carrying a Canadian flag. A woman can be heard to shout "Resign" and others join her in demanding Trudeau step down.

"This was quite a scene outside James St restaurant in Hamilton when ⁦@JustinTrudeau and security pulled a classic decoy move with protesters by his car in the back. But he still got an earful from some angry demonstrators," Warmington tweeted.

Another video of the scene, shared by Harrison Faulkner of Canadian digital media platform True North, shows protesters hooting horns and swearing at Trudeau.

Some of the protesters can be heard shouting "F*** you" as Trudeau headed back to the hotel where he and his ministers were staying.

Faulkner had earlier shared a video showing protesters putting up an inflatable sheep outside the restaurant where the prime minister and his cabinet were set to have dinner.

There was a printed sign on the inflated sheep that said "99.8 percent survival rate," in what is likely a reference to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trudeau's policies aimed at tackling the pandemic have long been subject to criticism and opposition within the country. In early 2022, a large protest by truckers against COVID-19 vaccine mandates effectively shut down the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

The prime minister used emergency powers in February to break up the protest, which participants had called the "Freedom Convoy," and he testified about that decision to a commission investigating the matter in November.

The Canadian cabinet is meeting in Hamilton to discuss their plans before the country's parliament returns to work next week as the premiers of Canada's provinces have asked the government for a major increase in the federal share of health care spending.

That call comes amid backlogs in surgeries and staffing problems, arising in part from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsweek has asked Justin Trudeau's office for comment.

Update 05:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include more information.