TORONTO — Sarah Bernstein won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in a 30th anniversary bash upended by anti-Israel protesters.

The Montreal-born, Scotland-based author accepted the $100,000 award remotely from Scotland, where she had a baby just 10 days ago.

Just as her name was called at the Toronto gala, a protester interrupted the live telecast with anti-war slogans, forcing organizers to repeat the announcement.

The protester was escorted out but the CBC broadcast kept cameras off the incident for viewers at home.

The celebrations were also interrupted early in the broadcast when several anti-Israel protesters jumped onstage. They were quickly escorted out by police.

Jurors lauded Bernstein’s second novel, “Study for Obedience,” published by Knopf Canada, as an incandescent modernist experiment.

The Giller awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press