‘Unacceptable’: Canadian mayor speaks out against rise in anti-Semitic incidents
Rise in hate-crime follows violence between Israel and Gaza last month
A rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the Canadian city of Toronto has been condemned by the city’s mayor, John Tory.
“I want to be very clear that anti-Semitic acts are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “I have heard the valid concerns of the Jewish community and I stand with them against this hatred.”
Tory met earlier this week with members of the city’s Jewish community and its police chief to discuss the issue, CP24 reported.
The statement follows a five-fold increase in reports of anti-Semitic incidents, including harassment and graffiti referencing the Holocaust that was placed on a Jewish store, the Canadian news site reported.
Such incidents included mock eviction notices being placed on Jewish homes, and Jewish families being derided as “baby killers,” according to a report by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, a North American Jewish philanthropic and pro-Israel organization.
“In response to recent global events, high visibility uniform patrols are being conducted across the city to provide reassurance to all community members that may feel vulnerable to crimes motivated by hate or bias,” Toronto police said in a statement to CP24.
The increase in hate crimes coincided with a flare-up in violence last month between Israel and Gazan armed groups, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Criticism of Israel or specific Israeli policies is not by definition anti-Semitic, but “time and time again” it veers into verbal, physical and online harassment of Canadian Jews, the report by the UJA said.