Ottawa police have charged a man with 18 counts of mischief to property after anti-Semitic symbols and “hateful messages” were spray painted in multiple locations around the downtown area.
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said the incidents happened on Dec. 22, 2023.
“The incidents occurred on Elgin, O’Connor, Nepean, Cooper, Gilmour, Gloucester, Lisgar and Metcalfe Streets as well as in Confederation Park,” an OPS
news release said.
The 34-year-old man is accused of using black spray paint to vandalize property and paint a “series of anti-Semitic symbols and other hateful messages,” police said.
OPS said they encouraged anyone who witnessed or experienced similar incidents to report them to police.
The charges come just days after Toronto police responded to a fire at a Jewish-owned grocery store.
Police and firefighters attended the fire at 6 a.m. on Jan. 3 at International Delicatessen Foods, located at Steeles Avenue and Petrolia Road.
Reports indicate the deli had been sprayed with graffiti saying “Free Palestine.”
Toronto Fire Services put out the fire and said no injuries were sustained.
“This isn’t lawful protest protected by Constitutional rights. It’s criminal. It’s violent, targeted and organized,” Toronto Police Service (TPS) Staff Superintendent Pauline Gray said in a Jan. 3
statement.
“We’ll use all resources available to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who are responsible for this.”
Anti-Jewish Violence Rising
Toronto police have said that over half of the hate crimes reported between Oct. 7 and Dec. 17, 2023, were anti-Semitic in nature.Oct. 7 was the day that Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, sparking a war.
“Between October 7 and December 17, 2023, there have been 98 hate crime occurrences reported in Toronto, compared to 48 in 2022 during the same time period. This includes 56 anti-Semitic hate crimes reported (versus 18 during the same period last year [in 2022]), 20 anti-Muslim/Palestinian/Arab hate crimes reported (versus 2 during the same period last year),” a Dec. 19 Toronto police
news release said.
There were 338 reported hate crimes from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17, 2023, according to the TPS news release. Of those, 147 were against Jews and 37 were considered anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, or anti-Arab.
Pro-Palestinian Protests
Pro-Palestinian protests have also been increasing across the country.On Nov. 14, 2023, protestors
surrounded a restaurant where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was dining in Vancouver.
A hundred police officers were dispatched to deal with the situation.
Social media videos showed protesters waving Palestinian flags, shouting slogans, and jeering Mr. Trudeau outside the restaurant in the city’s Chinatown, The Canadian Press
reported.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Toronto Police closed down a Highway 401 overpass over concerns about safety due to a pro-Palestinian protest in the area.
Police said there would be no access to Avenue Road from the highway.
“Police are on scene to enforce this in order to keep demonstrators, counter-demonstrators, and passing traffic safe. Stay tuned for re-opening details,” TPS
posted on X, formerly Twitter, at 3:04 p.m. local time.
It was the second time police had to shut down the overpass. Pro-Palestinian protesters caused the same section of highway to be closed on Dec. 30, 2023.
