A protester halted Harley Finkelstein’s Startupfest fireside chat midway, approaching the stage while filming and accusing the Shopify president of supporting “genocide in Gaza.”
Spectators—many identifying as tech founders earlier in the session—booed the interruption as staff removed the man and Finkelstein replied that the event was about entrepreneurship in Canada and Georges St-Pierre.
The Montréal appearance was Finkelstein’s second disruption at Startupfest after protesters interrupted his 2024 live podcast recording there.
It was also at least the third in-person protest tied to his support for Israel in three years, following a 2025 social media boycott campaign targeting both Finkelstein and Shopify.
The confrontation reflects continuing Gaza-related tensions spilling into tech events, where executives at companies including Oracle, Microsoft and Google have also faced protests over Israel.