Toronto police announced Sunday that they are investigating two “suspected hate motivated mischief” incidents, after rocks were thrown through the windows of two synagogues in Canada’s largest city early Sunday morning.
Criminal mischief is the willful destruction or damage of property. Under Canada’s Criminal Code, mischief relating to religious property that is “motivated by bias, prejudice or hate” is a distinct offense. Ordinary criminal mischief that causes less than $5,000 in damage has a penalty of a maximum of two years in prison. Hate motivated mischief draws a penalty of a maximum of ten years in prison. Upon conviction, a judge may take hate into consideration as an aggravating factor when determining sentencing.
The incidents are currently being investigated by the Toronto Police Service Hate Crime Unit, and no arrests have been made.
Earlier in June, a man was charged with Mischief to Religious Property for throwing a rock through the window of a Downtown Toronto synagogue. He has not been sentenced yet.
Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found that antisemitic incidents across the country increased in 2023, which the organization attributes to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October. The Audit observed a 77.5% increase in antisemitic incidents in Ontario, noting that an increase in incidents had also been observed before the beginning of the war. The synagogues that were vandalized publicly support the state of Israel, including the continued promotion of a volunteer program with the Israeli Defense Forces.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said they were aware of the incidents, adding, “We urge all Torontonians to stand with our community as we confront this vicious escalation of antisemitism. Because silence will only embolden the extremists who are targeting Jews and threatening the very fabric of our city.”
The incidents come amid a global surge in antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate in the wake of Israel-Hamas war, which has seen allegations of war crimes and arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court. Last week, French prosecutors charged people with a “terrorist conspiracy” after they were found to be planning a militant terrorist attack on Jewish targets. In May, a synagogue in Poland was attacked with a Molotov cocktail. And last week, Texas police arrested a woman accused of trying to drown 3-year-old Palestinian Muslim child.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has condemned acts of hate and called on the world to act in a speech at the UN’s Holocaust commemoration event, saying:
All of us – leaders and citizens – have a responsibility to listen and to learn from survivors and victims by condemning these terrible crimes against humanity, striving to eradicate antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred and intolerance and by finding a way forward to a shared, safe and inclusive future for all.
_-_2.jpg){kind=link}