Carney condemns shooting outside Canadian synagogue on Yom Kippur
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A shotgun and shotgun shells lie on the ground at the scene of a shooting where a police officer was shot outside a Yom Kippur gathering on Sept 21 at Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TORONTO - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sept 21 condemned a shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on the evening of Sept 20 that left a police officer wounded as members of the Jewish community gathered for Yom Kippur services.
“Last night, on the holiest night of the Jewish calendar, a shooting took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville,” Carney posted on X. “Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish.”
Toronto’s Police Service said it was increasing patrols near synagogues and other places of worship “out of an abundance of caution.”
Carney in June announced a new federal advisory council to combat antisemitism, warning that a surge in hate crimes means the country is failing to protect Jewish Canadians.
The shooting in Belleville, Ontario, about 190km east of Toronto, occurred at about 7.10pm local time on Sept 20 near a residential area in the city’s east end, the Belleville Police Service said in a statement on social media.
A police officer speaks with members of the public at the scene of a the shooting at Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said the shooter, a 29-year-old man, was in life-threatening condition and the officer was in critical-stable condition.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting in a post on social media, saying Jewish community members had “every right to gather and worship safely and without fear.” REUTERS