Harley Finkelstein, the Jewish president of Shopify, was interrupted by an anti-Israel protester while speaking at Startupfest in Montreal on Wednesday during a discussion on entrepreneurship with former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre.
The session, held at the Grand Quay of Montréal, focused on entrepreneurship and leadership. At the time of the disruption, Finkelstein and St-Pierre were discussing the parallels between fighters and entrepreneurs.
Footage of the incident shows a man identified as Yves Engler shouting, “Mr. Finkelstein, why have you supported the genocide on Gaza? How many children have been killed, Mr. Finkelstein?”
Audience members quickly drowned out the protester with boos, with one woman heard yelling, “Go away, you’re ruining it,” before security escorted the man from the venue.
Finkelstein later wrote that the protester was motivated by “antisemitism. Pure and simple. Disguised under a thin veil of advocacy, and everyone in the room saw right through it.”
“I was on stage with Georges St-Pierre talking about entrepreneurship. Not politics,” Finkelstein said. “A man burst in, screaming horrible accusations at me anyway. Third time in two years, including at the opening of a Jewish community centre. My parents were in the front row. I’ll never forget their faces.”
“When the target is always the Jew and never the topic, it’s not advocacy. It’s hate,” he added. “The room booed him down and cheered as he was walked out. I’m grateful for that. Hate got escorted out. We got right back to building.”
Engler, 46, who was accused in 2025 of online harassment of a pro-Israel social media personality and of harassing the Montreal police officer who investigated the allegations, was sentenced to probation in March. He was initially charged with harassing the social media personality, but those charges were recently dropped.
Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, responded to Finkelstein’s post by writing, “Stop playing the victim and take responsibility for your political positions.”
Though Finkelstein has been outspoken about his support for Israel, his “fireside chat” at Startupfest with St-Pierre was devoted to entrepreneurship rather than Middle East politics.
