Toronto Police Investigating Fire at Jewish-Owned Deli as Suspected Hate-Motivated Crime

Fire tape blows in the wind outside International Delicatessen Foods in Toronto on January 4, 2024. Toronto police say a fire at a business in the city is being investigated as a suspected hate-motivated crime. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

A fire at a Jewish-owned grocery store in Toronto is being investigated as a hate-motivated crime, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) has indicated.

Police and fire services had responded to a call on the morning of Jan. 3 at International Delicatessen Foods located at Steeles Avenue and Petrolia Road. The deli had also been sprayed with graffiti saying “Free Palestine.”

The fire was put out by Toronto Fire Services, which indicated that no injuries had been sustained.

“This isn’t lawful protest protected by Constitutional rights. It’s criminal. It’s violent, targeted and organized,” 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.”

TPS has indicated that its Hate Crime Unit is in charge of the investigation.

The incident has sparked criticism from politicians and Jewish organizations. Anti-Semitic incidents have multiplied in recent months after Hamas conducted a terrorist attack on Oct. 7 against Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces subsequently launched retaliation operations against the group in the Gaza Strip.

“Incidents like this leave people feeling shaken,” wrote Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on X (formerly Twitter) about the fire at the deli. “They diminish our sense of safety and belonging. All residents of Toronto deserve to be safe and feel safe.”

“As Mayor, let me be clear: acts of antisemitism, hate and violence are not welcome here. My office is in contact with the Toronto Police as they investigate this incident.”

Politicians from the provincial and federal governments have also reacted, with Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce condemning the recent “brazen attacks” against Jewish institutions.

“This hate-motivated arson is yet another direct assault on Canadian values, pluralism & the rule of law - inciting violence singularly because of one’s faith. Call it what it is: antisemitism,” he wrote on X on Jan. 4.

Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Ya'ara Saks, who is Jewish and represents the York Centre riding where the deli is located, said on social media that “With each brazen act of incitement and of violence, the cycle of antisemitism and hateful acts increases.”

“This must stop,” she said.

TPS says the investigation will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office. In pursuit of leads and evidence, the authorities are calling on the public for any information related to the incident.

In Toronto, activists supporting Palestine and opposing Israel have engaged in notable demonstrations, including protests outside businesses owned by Jewish individuals and disruptions to vehicular movement.

Montreal has also seen several Jewish facilities including schools being attacked with gunfire and incendiary devices.

In Ottawa, a young individual was apprehended on Dec. 15 and charged by the RCMP, accused of planning a terrorist act aimed at the Jewish population.