Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw revealed on Thursday a significant increase in Islamophobic and antisemitic hate crimes in the city in an update to the public. The rapid rise of Islamophobic and antisemitic hate crimes have been linked to the ongoing war in Gaza, beginning with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
While statistics for overall hate crimes this year have yet to be published for this year, in 2022 Statistics Canada divulged that 847 hate crimes were reported to Toronto police. Thursday night’s press conference published data spanning October 7 and November 20. During that time, there were 17 Islamophobic and 38 antisemitic hate crimes reported. By comparison, there was only one Islamophobic and 13 antisemitic hate crimes reported in 2022.
Despite the rise in hate crime in Canada, research has indicated that many actors in the criminal justice system fail to properly enforce policies and laws regarding hate crimes, which discourages people from reporting. Accordingly, the current data the police have revealed is most not likely not fully accurate as to the true increase of hate crimes in the city.
Demkiw‘s announcement reflects the city’s increasing division regarding the conflict in Gaza. Recent arrests were made of pro-Palestinian protestors who vandalized an Indigo bookstore at Bay and Bloor and accused its CEO of “funding genocide,” according to police. People in the city have decried the arrests and demanded the suspects be released, criticizing their actions being labelled as hate crimes.
Since the war in Gaza began, countries across the world have reported an increase in tensions surrounding Muslim and Jewish populations. This past week, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world published a study that found that over one in three Jewish students say there have been acts of hate or violence against Jews at their schools. Earlier, a Muslim civil rights group in the US reported a similar trend among Muslims in the US. A German think-tank also revealed a rise in antisemitism in the country following the October 7 attack. The UK has noted similar trends in antisemitism and Islamophobic sentiments several times since the war began.
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