On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quoted a significant rise in antisemitism in Canada after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel and Israel’s subsequent deadly air strikes in Gaza.
At a conference on fighting antisemitism, Trudeau said, “Since this conflict broke out, there has been a very scary rise of antisemitism here at home.” Even before the continuous conflict, he said, there had been a “steady rise” in antisemitism.
Trudeau documented reports of a potential hate crime at a Jewish high school in Toronto last week, fears among some visiting synagogues due to a possibility of being attacked, and heated online rhetoric, as instances of the rising antisemitism in Canada.
Police in Canada’s largest city Toronto said they arrested three men on Thursday after they made threats at the Community Hebrew Academy.
Police have increased patrols in Jewish cultural centers and synagogues as well as mosques and other sites of worship.
The Canadian prime minister also denounced Hamas and said he backed Israel’s right to self-defense while drawing a strong line between Hamas and pro-Palestinian voices.
Trudeau said, “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, nor their legitimate aspirations. They do not speak for Muslim or Arab communities, and they do not represent the better futures that Palestinians or their children deserve.”
A Hamas October 7 rampage on southern Israeli communities left 1,300 people dead, and about 200 were taken into Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as hostages.
Israel since then has bombarded Gaza where health authorities said at least 3,000 people have been killed. A hospital attack on Tuesday killed 500 Palestinians, with Israeli and Palestinian officials accusing each other.
