TORONTO –

A dinner hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in honour of his Italian counterpart had to be cancelled this evening after pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked entrances to the venue where it was set to take place.

Trudeau’s office says neither he nor Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Miloni were able to enter the Art Gallery of Ontario, which went into lockdown over the protests.

Hundreds of demonstrators chanted Trudeau was funding a genocide and criticized the federal government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Would-be attendees gathered outside were confronted by demonstrators, with their paths to entry blocked, but some were later escorted to the building’s entrance by police.

International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen tried to enter through the main entrance, but protestors blocked his path and followed him for two blocks as he tried a more secure location while flanked by police.

Miloni was in town for a day of meetings with Trudeau, where they discussed areas of shared interest between the two countries.