Storefront and convention center windows were smashed, cars were set on fire and small explosive devices were hurled at police.
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Local planners are hopeful Dayton won’t see that kind of turmoil, but they are taking steps to increase security, including establishing a secure “NATO village” around several blocks of downtown where events will be held. Access to the area will be strictly limited.
Ohio is expected to spend more than $5 million on security for the event.
Activists still may try to take advantage of the global spotlight that will shine on Dayton by staging protests, rallies or other activities. There’s plenty of anger and frustration about international crises and conflicts like the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
But it’s also possible that this NATO event — like some of the sessions before it — won’t see major demonstrations or disruptions.
“My naive take, but hopefully it’s right, is that I can’t imagine anything that was going on in Montreal happening in Dayton,” said Christopher McKnight Nichols, the Hayes Chair in National Security at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University. “Should we see protests, it wouldn’t surprise me if what we see is people and groups taking the opportunity of having the Assembly there to publicize some issues that are loosely related to NATO.”
NATO in Dayton
Dayton is going to host the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from May 22 to 26. This will be the first time the United States has hosted a session since 2003.
The event will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, which put an end to the Bosnian War. NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
About 300 parliamentarians and their families and staff will be coming to Dayton for the spring session. The total visitor count could exceed 1,000 people.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a forum that brings together elected representatives from NATO’s 32 member countries, said Susan Colbourn, associate research professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Parliamentary Assembly is designed to engage elected officials on issues of transatlantic security and defense, Colbourn said.
“In so doing, it aims to reinforce democratic accountability within the alliance by engaging legislators on issues of direct relevance of transatlantic security,” she said.
Colbourn said the Parliamentary Assembly does not make decisions but can adopt resolutions and make recommendations to allied policymakers.
What happened in Canada
The 70th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly was held in Montreal, Canada, from Nov. 22 to 25. About 260 lawmakers from the 32-nation alliance participated.
During that session, the Parliamentary Assembly passed resolutions endorsing the need to support the Ukrainian war effort until Kyiv’s victory, investment in air and missile defense and military uses of artificial intelligence, Colbourn said.
On the first night of the Parliamentary Assembly, hundreds of people took part in pro-Palestine and anti-NATO demonstrations in downtown Montreal.
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Montreal police said some protestors clashed with officers and set off fireworks and smoke bombs, and a couple of cars ended up on fire.
Police said protestors threw objects at officers and smashed storefront windows and the windows of a convention center where NATO events were being held. Police made three arrests, mainly for obstructing police work.
Complete lawlessness in Montreal as the Pro-Hamas terror mobs emboldened by the Trudeau Liberals destroy the PM’s own hometown.
— Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) November 23, 2024
Rioters on a violent rampage and not a single word from our government. They only act when you disagree with them.
Bring back law and order, safe… pic.twitter.com/jz2YVKBtL9
Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher told Canadian news agencies, “We had a group ... that wasn’t there for a cause — it was just to destroy the windows, the cars and really they were there to do some criminal acts.”
Pro-Palestine and anti-capitalist groups helped organize the protests. Some protestors told reporters that they were expressing their opposition to NATO’s “complicity” in Israel’s war crimes.
Montreal police told the Dayton Daily News that some protestors were against Canada’s participation in NATO, while others were demonstrating in response to concerns in the Middle East.
Police said most protestors were peaceful. Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, claimed that protestors engaged in acts of violence, intimidation, destruction and hate speech.
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Other NATO events also have sparked demonstrations.
Several years ago, a couple thousand people marched in the streets of Madrid ahead of a NATO summit in the Spanish capital. News reports do not suggest those demonstrations were disorderly or caused significant issues.
Dayton Assembly
NATO and its member countries have critics, but in general most Americans appear to support the alliance. A February 2024 Gallup poll found that two-thirds of Americans want to see the U.S. increase or maintain its commitment to NATO.
Some people think it’s possible that activists who aren’t all that focused on NATO may view the Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton as an opportunity to get attention on an international stage. Protests at gatherings of large international organizations often get global media coverage and attention, experts say.
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Credit: John Mahoney Montreal Gazette
Edward Joseph, adjunct lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said he did not understand the protests in Montreal because NATO has no role in the issues protestors were raising.
Joseph said he didn’t see any protests when he was at the site of the 75th Anniversary NATO Summit in Washington last July.
Canadian media reported that hundreds of protests about the Israel-Hamas war took place in Montreal between the falls of 2023 and 2024, which led to more than 100 arrests.
Downtown Dayton in recent years has seen protests about the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the events were not disorderly.
Security will be extra tight for the NATO PA in Dayton.
Proposed restricted area for 'NATO village'
Access to much of downtown Dayton will be restricted from May 21-27 as the city hosts the 2025 Spring Session - NATO Parliamentary Assembly. All vehicle traffic would be restricted, and pedestrian access would be limited. The boundaries may change.
The state of Ohio is going to provide about $5.3 million for security, which will help cover the cost of police personnel and security measures.
A sizable section of downtown is going to be turned into a “NATO Village” security zone. Only people with proper credentials and clearance will be allowed inside the restricted area, which could cover more than 67 acres of downtown.
The boundaries of the village is still being determined, but the zone is expected to be closed off with fencing and barriers, and there will be a large police presence.
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