Dave Gordon
JNS, Jan. 12, 2024
“Our community is not powerless. Our community is strong. Our community is resilient. Our community has never been more united in its resolve to support one another and to support our Jewish state as it is right now. As truly difficult and challenging as the last few months have been, we are strong.”
Between January and September of last year, there were an average of 47 monthly hate crimes reported in Toronto. In the next three months—after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7—Toronto police fielded an average of 190 monthly hate crime reports, more than a 300% increase. “Our officers have worked tirelessly to manage 308 demonstrations,” Myron Demkiw, chief of the Toronto Police Service, said on Jan. 11. “Exponentially more than any other city in Canada.”
“Antisemitism continues to account for more reported hate crimes than any other category, making up 37% of all hate crimes reported in 2023,” per Toronto police. “In 2023, there were 132 reported antisemitic hate crimes compared to 65 in 2022.” (Anti-Muslim hate crimes went up from 12 in 2022 to 35 in 2023.)
Many Jews in the Ontario capital feel intimidated, according to Demkiw, who announced that anti-Israel demonstrations will no longer be permitted on the Avenue Road bridge, where they’ve occurred for the past month. “People can expect to be arrested if necessary,” he said. Police previously drew criticism for delivering food and coffee to protesters on the bridge, located near a large Jewish community.
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